Vigorous Deluge
by Meowing Goats
Summary: The sequel to Massive Precipitation. Kind of two years after. Continuation is "Hereafter: Two Animarum". Suggested yaoi and SPOILER WARNING.
1. The Return of the Origami Killer

It was 2013, October 1st. Rain had started up again; already the water was threatening to flood the city of Philadelphia.  
Lieutenant Carter Blake was sitting around in his cozy, lonely home when suddenly he got a phone call.  
"Fuck, I told that shitty mattress guy that I don't want his shitty mattresses..." Blake hissed as he picked up the phone. "Hello?"  
"Lieutenant Blake, we have an issue." Captain Perry answered from the other end.  
"And what is that? Why is it so important that is has to cut into my seemingly-random holiday?"  
"Grace Mars is here. Shaun has gone missing again."  
"OH FER FUCK'S SAKE..."  
Blake threw his jacket on and stormed out of his house. He was about to get into his car when some woman called out for him to stop.  
He looked over. "The fuck do you want?!"  
He was greeted with the sight of the woman he'd interrogated about the death of Manfred two years ago; Lauren Winter. She was drenched.  
"I've heard about the second disappearance of Shaun Mars. Maybe you'd like some information?"  
"Sorry, Mrs. Winter, not a chance."  
"I will rip your balls off if you don't take me along. What if this the the resurfacing of the Origami Killer?"  
"The Origami Killer is dead, but if you put it that way..." Blake grumpily let Lauren into his car, but he didn't plan to take her along any further than to the police station.

* * *

Carter Blake and Lauren Winter walked into the police station. As the lieutenant walked towards his desk with Lauren following closely behind, he saw someone sitting impatiently in front of the captain's office.  
He froze.  
It took a moment for Blake to recognize him due to his grown-out stubble and longer, messier hair, but he could never forget those eyes.  
"... Jayden? Norman Jayden?"  
His arms crossed firmly, Jayden's only response was flicking his pale green eyes and looking half-heartedly at the lieutenant.  
Lauren looked offended by Jayden's presence. "What the fuck is he doing here?"  
"I want to be he'e even less than ya wanna see me, miss, trust me." Jayden replied bitterly.  
"What's that supposed to mean, Norman? You got cold feet?" Blake asked.  
Jayden glared at him. "I resigned, Cahtah. I'm not a federal agent enehmo'e."  
"What?! You resigned?"  
"I couldn't take it..." Jayden trailed off. "The captain called me though and wouldn't let up. I had nothin' bettah to do enehways..."  
"Still... I can't believe it's you. Last time I saw you, you..." Blake also trailed off, leaving Lauren in the dark.  
"Befo'e y'ask, I'm not doin' eneh bettah." The ex-agent replied with a dark look in his eyes that made Blake nervous.  
Before Jayden could get creepier, captain Perry stepped out of his office. "Jayden!" He greeted with worry masked by pleasure.  
"Long time no see." Jayden droned.  
"I figure you want to get right down to business."  
"Y'know me bettah than I thought."  
"Nope." Perry placed a finger on Jayden's lips, moving it around his face. In response, Jayden roughly grabbed the captain's wrist and snapped it backwards.  
Lauren's eyes widened as she stared.  
"... Ouch." Perry whimpered. "Straight to the point it is. See, Grace Mars ran in here today, screaming that her son had disappeared. She also gave us this..."  
Blake was handed a tiny Origami figure, and his eyes widened.  
"We unfolded it, but the rain and the mud has soiled it. All we can read on it is 47 23 now."  
Jayden made a quiet noise similar to that of a scoff or a snicker and had a small smirk spread across his face, but no one could figure out why, and they dismissed it as a lack of sympathy.  
"Shit... So, the Origami Killer's..." Lauren murmured.  
"I need you and Jayden to partner up again to find the killer." Perry said.  
Jayden let out a hearty laugh, nearly pushing himself to tears as everyone in the station went silent and gave him a weird look.  
"Y'want _ME_ to work with _HIM?_ Sorry, captain, but I refuse."  
"Christ Jayden, snap out of it!" Blake yelled, threatening to hit the ex-agent. "The Origami Killer is back! You need to help me find him so that we can stop him and save Shaun Mars!"  
Jayden got up in Blake's face again. "I've seen _enough_ death. I'm done. Knowing you, we'll find Shaun Mars just for ya t'come up with a reason to shoot him in front of me just like Ethan and Madison Paige! Just like the first person you ever shot, isn't that right, Cahtah?!" While he made the last remark, Jayden grinned madly, knowing that he was striking a nerve and taking great pleasure in the fact.  
"Fucking _ASSHOLE!_" Blake tried to punch Jayden, but Perry restrained him with little help from Lauren.  
"That's enough! Will you two do it, if only for Shaun's sake, or not?!" He demanded an answer.  
Blake, without hesitation, agreed. "Unlike Norman here, I don't care who I have to work with just so long as I get the job done."  
Perry and Lauren looked at Jayden.  
Jayden sneered and looked away. "Fine. But I'm not gonna enjoy this, and I'm only doin' it fer Shaun."  
"That's more like it, Jayden!" Perry tried to slap Jayden on the back, but Jayden fought back and threw him through his own office window.  
Perry magically respawned back where he had been standing, much to Jayden's obvious displeasure.  
"Yeah, uh.. Go do whatever for the rest of the day. I have a press conference and until we get more evidence, we can't really do much."  
Lauren opened her mouth to argue, but Perry proceeded to shove a rabbit down her throat. Frustrated, she turned to spit it out at Jayden and Blake but found that they had abandoned her.

* * *

Blake followed Jayden out of the station and into the freezing rain. Blake couldn't help but notice that Jayden had either forgotten his coat or had not worn one. "Aren't you cold?"  
"Maybe, maybe not. What's it t'ya?"  
They both stood outside in the middle of sidewalk, getting drenched while an awkward silence embraced them.  
"... We might not have as much time as befo'e." Jayden said.  
"What?"  
"The rain... It's so much heavier than befo'e. The rain will accumulate faster, whe'evah Shaun is."  
Blake hadn't thought of that. "So, where are you staying now?" He asked, changing the subject.  
Jayden scoffed. "None of yer business."  
"I guess it isn't but I'm curious. You look like you haven't slept."  
"When did you become the expert on that sort of stuff, Cahtah?" Jayden asked sarcastically.  
Blake sighed out of frustration, making Jayden smirk.  
'_He doesn't even seem like the same person anymore... That drug really has changed him..._' The lieutenant thought.  
"I'm leavin' now." Jayden started walking, piquing Blake's interest.  
"Jayden, you don't have a car anymore?"  
"I'd rathah walk."  
This confused Blake, who knew from experience how much Jayden hated the rain. "Let me at least drive you to the hotel you're staying at."  
That offer didn't seem to sit well with Jayden, who whipped around with an emotional expression. "Hotel?! _HOTEL?!_ Blake, I don't have _eneh_ money! I don't get paid for enehthin' anymore; I don't have a job! I can't pay for a hotel! I can't even pay for a motel! I only have a dollah or two on me!"  
"Then maybe you shouldn't have resigned!" Blake argued. "Or maybe you should ask your family to support you!"  
That last part made Jayden break. With tears of mixed emotions flowing down his face, he let out a wail and lunged at Blake, tackling him down and starting to strangle him.  
Blake struggled. "J-Jayden, stop!"  
"I'll fuckin' kill you!"  
Soon, Jayden's rage started to turn to sorrow, and he started bawling as he weakly held his hands around Blake's throat. Blake pushed Jayden away only to get up and hesitantly hold him close, much like he had after their fight in the hotel.  
"It'll be okay, Norman."  
Jayden shook his head. "No, it won't..."  
"Come on, Jayden... Let's get out of the rain."  
Jayden didn't fight as Blake pulled him to his feet and helped him into his car. Once inside Blake's car, he simply sat there quietly.  
Blake got into the driver's seat and started the ignition, glancing over at Jayden.  
'_He's like a wild card. I have no idea what to expect from him in response to anything I could ever have to say. It's almost frightening..._'  
As Blake started to drive, Jayden spoke up. "Whe'e a'e y'takin' me, Blake?"  
Blake smiled a little at the fact that Jayden had called him by his surname like he had before the incident two years ago. "My house. You need a place to stay, don't you?"  
"I'd rathah take my chances on the street."  
"I know you can't stand the rain, Jayden."  
"True..."  
Jayden said nothing more during the rest of the drive until Blake brought up the Origami figure, which he still had.  
"Do you have any idea what 47 23 could mean? Obviously the killer wanted us to know those four numbers, and I couldn't help but notice that you reacted to them..."  
Jayden snickered again, staring ahead with a dark look in his pale green, bloodshot eyes. "Oh, _no idea,_ Cahtah. Perhaps the captain would understand the significance of the numbers if he decided to look as hard as he should..."  
Blake couldn't tell if that was an opinion or a hint, but Jayden did sound awfully suspicious.

* * *

Blake and Jayden stepped out of the car.  
"Doesn't look too bad." Jayden remarked aloud about Blake's house.  
"Thanks, I guess."  
The two of them walked up the porch steps, Blake allowing his trembling guest to enter the house first.  
"Make yourself at home, Jayden."  
"Could I take a shower?" was the first thing Jayden asked.  
"Sure." Blake instructed him on how to get to the bathroom. "Oh, and Jayden?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Maybe you should shave and trim your hair."  
"What? Why?"  
"You look too different."  
The ex-agent laughed quietly, but didn't respond; instead he went to the bathroom.  
Blake yawned; he was pretty tired. He quietly pulled out the folder of information about Jayden.  
'_I need to see if there's any connection between Jayden and those two numbers..._'  
After a rather long period of time, Jayden timidly walked into the room, wearing his soaked suit. He looked more like his old self now after shaving and trimming his dark hair.  
Blake put down what he was reading and raised a brow. "My god, Jayden, really?"  
"What?"  
"Take that fucking suit off."  
"_H-huh?_"  
"Take your goddamn clothes off. I'll give you something else to wear while I dry your suit."  
Jayden stuttered and fumbled as he started to unbutton his white dress shirt.  
"NOT IN FRONT OF ME, JAYDEN. JESUS CHRIunless you want to, that is." Blake cleared his throat loudly.  
"Get me some clothes first, and then I'll undress."  
Blake hurried off and got Jayden some clothes, running back before he could curiously check out the papers on his desk. "Here."  
Jayden walked back into the bathroom, making Blake pout as he'd wanted Jayden to strip for him.  
Jayden soon came back into the room, wearing Blake's spare clothes and holding his own suit. "It needs to be air-dried."  
"Yeah, yeah. Put the suit down on the chair over there, or something. You look exhausted."  
Jayden put the suit down. "I... I am sorta tired..."  
"You can sleep on my bed if you want."  
"Huh? But what about you?"  
"I'm gonna be pulling an all-nighter." Blake said before telling Jayden how to find the bedroom.  
Jayden walked to the doorframe, where he turned. He looked Blake in the eye with the smallest of smiles, and said, "Thank you, Blake."  
Blake felt like he could cry from happiness, but he just barely managed to hide his emotions. "You'll owe me for this later."  
Jayden rolled his eyes, his smile growing a little, and then he left and went to the bedroom.  
Blake sighed happily, continuing to read his files on Jayden to figure out the possible connection between the killer and Jayden.


	2. Oops

Carter Blake sat at his desk, half asleep with papers about Norman Jayden scattered about him. Though he was out of it, his mind was still trying to recognize the numbers on the origami figure.  
'_47 23... What do those numbers mean..._'  
His brain started trying to put a new number between the two. '_47123... 47723..._' Eventually, his brain clicked. '_47023. Why does that seem familiar...?_'  
He jolted awake and looked through the papers about Jayden. He froze, panicked.  
47023 was Jayden's agent number in the FBI.  
Blake pulled out the origami figure again and unfolded it. Squinting at it, Blake tried to see through the mud.  
'_This... This is Jayden's federal ID card. I can't fucking believe it._' Terrified, Blake quietly walked towards the bedroom.  
Jayden was not in the room.  
'_Oh fuck oh shit oh fuck oh shit..._' Blake started to freak out a little, but to comfort himself, he pulled out his handgun, which he always kept on him.  
That when he heard Jayden groggily moan and walk down the hall. It sounded like a casual, normal walk, so Blake hid the gun.  
When he turned into the doorway, Jayden gasped in surprise. "Blake? Blake, what are you doin'...?" The ex-agent asked as he rubbed his eyes.  
Blake revealed the gun, pointing it at Jayden, who held his hands up quickly as his eyes widened.  
"Blake, what the fuck...?!"  
"I've got you all figured out, Norman. The numbers 47 23. Add a 0 between them and they're your agent number."  
Jayden stood still for a second before his demeanor changed completely with an evil smirk. "You've done yer homework, Cahtah."  
'_That is horrifying. It's like he has a split-personality now._' Blake thought. "How did your ID card end up folded into an origami figure and in the hands of Grace Mars?!"  
"I know whe'e Shaun is." Jayden changed the subject.  
"What?!" Blake gripped the gun tighter, threatening to pull the trigger.  
Jayden dropped his hands. "If you shoot me, no one will know whe'e Shaun is. I'm essential to findin' him, Cahtah. I'm the only one who knows."  
"Not for long, because you're going to spill everything."  
"Make me, asshole." Jayden dared before he pulled out a half-empty tube of Triptocaine.  
"You still take that shit?"  
"Of cou'se. I _love_ destroyin' this body." He then snorted some of the drug and lost balance.  
Blake caught him as he fell limp, the tube rolling across the floor. "Fuck! Jayden!"  
"Hnn.." Jayden woke up from his brief loss of consciousness in Blake's arms. "The hell...?"  
"Jayden, what the fuck was that? Are you alright? You damn near smacked your fucking head on my dresser."  
"Huh... Uh.. I don't know..." He seemed disoriented.  
"... Jayden, what do you remember?" Blake asked with a sense of panic in his chest again. '_God, what if he really has gone mad?_'  
"I... I woke up cravin' fer Tripto again..."  
"What else?"  
Jayden shrugged. "The rest of it's a blur... Why a'e ya holdin' me, Blake?"  
Blake gulped. "You're kidding, right? You don't remember our argument?"  
"Argument?" Jayden raised a brow with this look on his face that made it clear that he thought Blake was joking.  
"Uh..." Blake felt very unnerved. "I... Yeah, I... I'm kidding. I'm going to go back to my desk now..."  
"Oh, Blake?" Jayden called out before Blake left the room.  
"Yeah...?"  
"Have ya seen my ARI? I think it was in one of my pockets..."  
"You still _have_ that thing?! Isn't it FBI property?"  
"W-well, yeah, but... It went offline a month aftah I resigned. My boss offahed it to me; said I could keep it, so I accepted." Jayden shrugged, looking a tad guilty about something.  
"Goddammit, _Norman..._" Blake facepalmed.  
"It's not the same enehmo'e, though."  
"What on Earth does _that_ mean?" Blake asked in Perry's voice.  
"I dunno, I just... It makes me feel... almost scared to wear it."  
"Well, yeah, I'd be scared too if a pair of glasses nearly killed me twice."  
"No, it... It seems like someone's the'e with me. In the ARI environment. Sometimes files are moved around, infohmation is added or deleted... and I always feel like I'm bein' watched..."  
Blake said nothing. He only stood there, waiting for Jayden to laugh and tell him he was kidding.  
Jayden went silent, occasionally gazing up at Blake for a moment and then looking at the tube of Tripto that had rolled away.  
Blake reached over to pick it up, but before he could, Jayden threw himself over and clutched it, glaring at Blake.  
Blake raised his hands and backed off; it seemed he still hadn't regained trust with possession of the drug since he'd flushed it down the toilet the first time. "It's destroying you, Jayden." Blake warned. "You said so yourself just a minute ago."  
Jayden's glare turned into a confused gaze. "I did...?"  
Blake sighed and left the room, closing the door. But then he opened it again. "Jayden?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you remember earlier today at all?"  
"_Uhhhh..._" Jayden tried his best to remember, but all he managed to come up with was the faint realization that he must have gone to the police station. "My memory's been shit since I woke up in the hospital two years ago... I can't even remembah how I got the'e..."  
Blake hastefully said goodnight and closed the door. He didn't want Jayden to know that he'd been the one to save him that day; it seemed out of character for him.  
Jayden sat in the dark room alone. He remembered that they'd had an argument earlier in the day, that he'd tried to murder Blake, and that Blake had invited him over, but that was about it. He looked to his right and saw an origami figure on the floor. "Wh-..."  
He picked it up and saw that it was his federal ID card from when he had been an agent. "Huh...?"  
'_Blake... Blake! It was Blake all along! He... Was _he_ the Origami Killah? He must have been; that's why he killed Ethan! Dahmmit, it was so clear! Why didn't I think I was right the first time I assumed it?! I could have saved Ethan's life... I'll make him pay. _I'll make him pay!' Overcome by rage, Jayden ripped the origami and therefore his ID card to shreds. He pulled at his hair and snarled at the floor quietly.  
It'd have to wait until the morning.  
'_I'm exhausted... But then again, so is Blake..._' He was torn.  
'_Do it, Nahman. Kill him. Avenge Ethan Mars._'  
Hearing that part of himself talk again made him glance at the Triptocaine. He must not have taken enough. But did he really want to take more?  
He refused to speak back to that part of himself as he slipped the Triptocaine back into his pocket.  
'_That's right, Nahman. Don't fight me._'  
Jayden wasn't sure if taking Tripto could be considered "fighting" it or "giving in" to it.  
'_Kill Cahtah. No one will miss him._'  
"No one'll miss him..." Jayden droned, subconsciously beginning to succumb. He shook his head. "Fuck, I can't kill Blake...! What am I thinkin'...?!"  
'_Yer thinkin' of revenge._'  
"I am _not_ talkin' to you..."  
'_You are now._'  
Jayden rolled his eyes at himself and stood, going back to the bed. '_I need to sleep..._'  
That other part of himself didn't respond. Jayden smiled and laid down, trying to fall asleep.

* * *

When morning came, Blake had hardly slept a wink. He was too busy thinking about Jayden.  
'_He admitted it. The fucker admitted that he's the Awrigami Killer right in front of me. Or at least, he admitted that he's the _new_ Awrigami Killer. Yet... Why can't I act on it? Is it because he's only _half_ the Awrigami Killer? God fucking dammit, he's still a criminal!_' In the back of his mind, Blake realized his feelings for the ex-agent were the only thing keeping him from arresting him.  
Jayden walked out of the bedroom, looking a little better than he had the night before, if only just barely. "Good mornin', Blake." He said in an unusually happy tone as he smiled warmly at the lieutenant.  
"Uh... Good morning, Jayden... I see you're... feeling better...?" Jayden's kindness set Blake on edge; he had expected Jayden to walk out depressed and angry at him as usual. However, if the happiness was legit, he didn't want to spoil it.  
Jayden walked over, getting a little too close for Blake to handle.  
"_Uhhhh..._ Jayden, are you okay?"  
"I've nevah been bettah, Blake."  
"You sure? You're acting a little strange, and it's making me feel awkward to have you breathing on me like this."  
"Sorry." Jayden stepped back, but was still a bit too close, especially with what was lying around Blake's desk.  
"You're hovering. You must want something."  
"Is my suit done dryin'?"  
"Maybe, I don't know."  
Jayden walked off to go check while Blake rushed to put all of the papers on him away.  
'_And I thought he was being creepy before. This is just fucking scary. Why does he seem so affectionate?_'  
The rain outside had calmed just a bit. Blake wondered if they'd be able to find Shaun by normal means.  
After a couple minutes, Jayden walked back into the room wearing his suit. He was still smiling, but his eyes looked dead.  
"... Jayden?"  
"Yes, Blake?"  
"... Are you sure you're okay?"  
Jayden's smile grew. It reminded Blake of Jayden's smirk of warning during the meeting two years prior, so he started slowly backing away.  
For every step he took backwards, Jayden took two steps forward.  
"Norman, what are you doing." Blake said more like a statement than a question.  
"I know what I have to do now."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I found out the truth last night, Blake."  
"What truth?"  
"Yer the Origami Killah."  
"What?!"  
"You. Are. The. O-ri-ga-mi. Kill-er. And I will kill you, and avenge Ethan Mars."  
"Jayden, this whole Awrigami Killer thing has driven you crazy!"  
"So? Aren't we all a little crazy, Blake?"  
Blake backed up against his wall. "What are you going to do, Jayden? Beat me to death?"  
"No~." Jayden pointed Blake's gun at him. "Y'left yer gun behind last night."  
"Jayden, snap out of it. You're not thinking straight."  
A sly grin appeared on Jayden's face. "Oh, but Cahtah, I'm thinkin' as clear as evah."  
"_Jayden..._"  
"Why did y'have to go and kill Ethan, Blake? If ya'd've just waited and not given that ordah, I wouldn't be tryin' to kill ya right now. I wouldn't be suffahin' so much right now. Why, Blake? _Why?!_"  
"Because I didn't want him to have you!" Blake roared quickly, not thinking of any consequences in confessing his secret. "I saw the way you looked at him! I was a little jealous, okay?!"  
"Yer a fuckin' introverted sociopath, Cahtah. It isn't up t'ya t'decide who I should like. At least he showed that he cared about me without seemin' like an asshole 'bout it! Maybe if ya had done the same, I wouldn't hate y'so much!"  
Suddenly, Blake wished he could go back in time and start over. "Please forgive me, Norman. I fucked up, okay? You happy? I _admitted_ it. I like you. You happy? I _admitted_ it."  
"Yer still seemin' like an asshole, Blake. It's too late eitha way, though, so don't evehn botha."  
"Give me a chance!"  
Unfortunately for Blake, his words only seemed to fuel Jayden's urge to kill; with every new plea, Jayden's aim steadied more.  
"Jayden, for _fuck's_ sake, put the goddamned gun down!"  
"No, Cahtah. I'm goin' to avenge an innocent man and woman right he'e and now."  
Ex-federal agent Norman Jayden pulled the trigger, sending police lieutenant Carter Blake into a world of darkness in a matter of seconds.

... Wait, Carter Blake is supposed to be the main character. He can't be dead yet...  
_Oops._


	3. Reset

Carter Blake opened his eyes to find that he was floating in darkness. "Am I dead? _FUCK._"  
Well, Shaun Mars was fucked; who was going to snap Norman Jayden out of it to get Shaun's location now?  
'_Whatever. He's not my problem. I don't care. ... Goddammit, I can't believe Norman fucking _shot_ me...!_'  
Suddenly, in the darkness, the glowing silhouette of none other than Ethan Mars formed.  
"WHAT THE FUCK." Blake shouted.  
"Hey, it's you. The one that killed me. Good to know Norman outlived you." Ethan remarked.  
"Fuck you. Where am I?"  
"If I explained, people might think this is a ripoff of Harry Potter."  
"... Huh?"  
"Ssssshhhhhhhhh." Ethan pressed his glowing hand against Blake's lips. "Now that you're here, the four of us will get to retry."  
"What?"  
"... Actually, it was supposed to be Norman that died, not you. Whatever, four is four."  
"I'm lost."  
"Yeah, so am I. I'm just reading what that teleprompter says."  
Blake looked behind him. The teleprompter now read '_ETHAN YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU STILL HAVE BRAIN CANCER SO SUCK IT_'.  
"Who else is here?" Blake asked.  
"Madison Paige and that Shelby guy."  
"So you're telling me that all four of us are going to get to '_try again_'? What the hell does that mean?"  
"Well, we obviously fucked up somewhere to get such a shitty ending."  
"Yeah, tell me about it. Jayden's the Awrigami Killer now."  
"What?!"  
"Yeah, he kidnapped Shaun. Something about me having you and that bitch killed made him snap, I guess."  
"Well shit. I certainly hope that can be avoided."  
"He just shot me in the fucking face, that's why I'm here."  
"Well," Ethan put a glowing hand on Blake's shoulder. "I hope that happens _again._ I'll give him his gun back after I shoot Scott this time."  
Blake rolled his eyes.  
A light appeared in front of them.  
"Looks like it's time to go." Ethan started walking toward the light.  
"Hey, uh... How far back is this going to take us, exactly?"  
"Well, if everything's revolving around Norman... Probably back to the exact time that he got to Philadelphia? I don't know, it might even take us back to childhood." With that, Ethan cartwheeled through the light. Blake shrugged and front-flipped into the light.

* * *

Carter Blake somehow retained the right to be main character. His eyes opened and, to his shock, he was back on the crime scene where he'd met Norman Jayden for the first time.  
'_So it does revolve around him? Nice._'  
Looking to the entrance into the crime scene, Blake saw Jayden standing there. The agent pulled out his ARI and put it on before tugging on the glove that corresponded with the glasses. He started talking to himself, but Blake was used to that already.  
'_Maybe I'll change things up a little. I wonder what will happen to Norman if I do this..._'  
Jayden happened to look in his direction and seemed to be made uneasy. Blake walked over to him and held out a hand. "Agent Norman Jayden, FBI, I assume?"  
Looking awkward, Jayden took off his ARI with his gloveless hand and used the same hand to shake Blake's gloved hand. "Lieutenant Cahtah Blake? I stopped by yer office this mornin'..."  
"Did you? Sorry, I've been here all morning."  
"It's alright..."  
"... Something wrong, Jayden? You seem awkward."  
Jayden quickly shook his head. "If y'don't mind, I'd like to get right down t'business." He clasped his hands idly under his nose as if testing the waters; seeing how Blake would respond to certain things. He didn't know yet that Blake knew almost everything about him.  
Blake got really close to Jayden, who froze up, but seemed to appreciate the warmth.  
"I like that about you, _Norman._" He whispered.  
"Uh... O-... O-... _-kay...?_" Jayden looked genuinely confused.  
"I like a lot about you, _Norman._"  
Jayden cleared his throat and backed away. "Um... Mind if I have a look around?"  
"Be my guest."  
Jayden walked away as fast as he could.  
'_Maybe that wasn't such a good idea? Oh well, too late now._' Blake followed Jayden from a bit of a distance, and when Jayden started to climb up to the highway, Blake rushed over.  
Jayden slipped like before, but this time Blake caught him dramatically, sweeping him off of his feet. Jayden looked scared.  
"I got you, Norman."  
"Put me down, please." He pleaded.  
"You're pretty light, Norman. How long do you think I could carry you for?"  
"Not fer very long, 'cause I'll scream if y'don't put me down."  
"Fine." Blake gently put Jayden back onto his feet.  
Before he started to go back up again, Jayden slowly looked over at Blake. He smiled sheepishly. "These shoes a'en't great fer climbin' slipp'ry surfaces like this. Could ya... uh, help me...?"  
'_Huh, so I really am changing things._' Blake smiled. "I can try, somehow."  
The two of them climbed up onto the highway together, both helping the other, and Jayden managed to get up without ruining his suit. Somehow.  
Once up there, Jayden stood to Blake right and put his ARI back on. Seeing a truck and a large puddle, Blake stepped in front of Jayden and stood to Jayden's right.  
"What was that about?" The agent asked.  
Blake didn't have time to respond before he got splashed from behind with cold water as the truck went by. Jayden pushed past Blake and flipped the truck off.  
'_Maybe he does like me more now. This is weird, but I think I'm liking it._' Blake pondered.  
Jayden gazed back at Blake with this strange frown that Blake couldn't read very well.  
"... What?"  
Jayden made a gesture with his hand said said "_nothing_", and then he started looking around for evidence with his ARI.  
"Car tracks... Probably the killah's."  
"You think so?"  
"No doubt. The'e a'e footprints too."  
"Are they the killer's too?"  
"Most likely. I think I've seen all the'e is t'see he'e."  
"You sure?"  
Jayden fell silent, seeming to doubt himself.  
"Nah, you know what? I'm pretty sure you've found everything there is to find, right? What else could there be?"  
"... Yes... _Yes,_ what else could the'e be." Jayden took his ARI off and sneezed.  
"Not one for chilly weather, are you, Jayden?"  
"Heh... To be honest, no."  
"Let's get back down to the crime scene and go back to the station."  
"Okay."  
The two of them walked back to the incline and helped each other down, Blake attempting to feel Jayden a little more perversely; Jayden either didn't click to this conclusion or strangely didn't mind. Blake took Jayden into his arms as he spun almost gracefully down the rest of the muddy incline, and when they fell to an anti-climatic stop at the bottom, Blake leaned closer to kiss Jayden, but then remembered that they were surrounded by other cops. Luckily, Jayden pushed him away with a wide grin.  
"Yer a _strange_ one, Blake. I'll give ya that much." Jayden said mockingly as he turned to walk away. Blake could have sworn that Jayden was giving him bedroom eyes.

* * *

Norman Jayden drove along, taking a detour to the police station. He had, for once, managed to overcome the urge to indulge in Triptocaine, but only because his mind had been more focused on Carter Blake.  
'_How strange... It almost seemed like he knew me befo'e we evehn met, and that he liked me a little too much..._' Still, he figured that he liked the guy too; he seemed nice enough.  
His mind was so lost that he nearly ran over a man who ran into the street and outstretched his arms to signal Jayden to stop the car, which he managed to do... just barely.  
"Holy Christ!" Jayden got out of his car hesitantly, and was forced to back up by the man, who threw an origami goose at him and started to run.  
Jayden looked at it in shock, picked it up, and then started to chase after the man. He chased him all the way into the nearby park, where the man suddenly fell to his knees and bawled in front of a backpack.  
Jayden stopped near him. The bag was soaked and appeared to belong to a boy. He walked a little closer to the man.  
"Whe'e did y'get this?" He asked as he held out the origami goose.  
"I don't know.." The man responded.  
"... Is... Is that yer son's backpack?"  
"Yes..."  
"Whe'e is he?"  
"_I don't know...!_"  
Jayden's heart sank a little, much like he himself did as he sunk to his knees next to the man. After a moment, he sighed and revealed his ID card to him. "I'm Agent Nahman Jayden of the FBI. I can take y'to the local police station if ya'd like, so y'can talk about it t'them."  
"Sure..." Ethan was trying his best to make this meeting as much like it had been before, but he was already noticing some minor differences.  
'_Fuck! At this rate, _everything_ might change!_' He worried as he got into Jayden's car.  
Jayden gasped as the man grabbed his tie and pulled him close, their eyes locked.  
"Please... I know how this must seem... with the origami goose and all..." He pleaded.  
Jayden could only give the man a look of sympathy. He held onto the origami goose as he gently pulled himself free and went to the driver's seat. Meanwhile, Ethan panicked, as Jayden had smirked at him before.  
'_What did I do differently...?!_'  
Jayden drove back to the police station and pulled Ethan inside. "Blake?" He called out.  
Blake hurried over, only somewhat pleased to see that Jayden had returned with Ethan Mars again. "What is it?"  
"This man needs help."  
"Sit him down over there and I'll talk to him." Blake said as Ethan glared at him.  
Jayden did as he was told, but Blake was surprised when Jayden walked over to him and held his hand for a second. His face turned red and stayed that way even when Jayden let go and walked away. It took him a second to realize that it hadn't been as much a gesture of affection as it had been a way to slip something into his hand.  
He looked at what Jayden had given him and saw an origami goose, and he looked at Ethan.  
"Everything's changing." Ethan said with his head in his hands.  
"I'll say..." Blake said with a wide, lovestruck grin; it seemed like Jayden's crush on Ethan had been avoided.

* * *

Carter Blake and Ethan Mars didn't say much of anything to each other, nor did Blake get Ash, as there wasn't a need; they'd both been in this situation with each other before. So instead, both of them watched Norman Jayden. Whenever Jayden looked at them, they pretended to be talking about something.  
When Jayden eventually went into his office, Blake followed him, remembering that Jayden would soon be needing to take Triptocaine.  
He, again, caught Jayden off guard, but this time he wasn't armed or even intimidating.  
"Holy Christ, Blake. You scared me. Evah heard of knockin' first?"  
"What do you think of that Mars guy? The guy you brought in?"  
"Uh.. I guess I think he's a little suspicious. Why?"  
"I just wanted to know if you and I were thinking about him the same way, is all?"  
"A'e we?"  
"Seems so." Blake smiled. "But I think he's _really_ suspicious, not just a little."  
Jayden shrugged and seemed to wobble a little.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Y-.. Yeah. Yeah, I'm... I'm fine... Could... Could I be alone...?"  
Blake took Jayden into his arms, startling the agent. "No chance, _Norman._"  
"I... I need to... w-..." Jayden's legs fell slack and he leaned heavily against Blake, panting. This situation made Blake feel a little hot under the collar, but he didn't take advantage of Jayden this time. He helped Jayden to the bathroom, but found that Jayden pushed away from him to go to the sink instead. There, he shakily turned the faucet on and splashed his face with cool water a few times until he seemed to get better.  
"Are you okay, Jayden?"  
Jayden nodded a little. "Yeah, I think I'll be okay for now... Would y'mind if I went to talk to Ethan myself?"  
Blake felt a bit threatened by that question. "I _would_ mind."  
Jayden frowned, seeming disappointed that Blake was refusing to allow him to ask his own questions.  
'_You're mine now, Jayden. I'll keep you away from Mars, and you'll be mine._' Blake thought with a smirk as he narrowed his eyes on his love, determined to keep him all to himself this time.


	4. Overprotective, Much?

Norman Jayden walked into Lexington Station. He was here only to get some time away from Carter Blake, who seemed to be a little obsessed with him. He walked through the crowd of people aimlessly, and suddenly he saw Ethan Mars.  
'_What in the world is he doin' he'e?_' Jayden walked over and grabbed him gently by the shoulder. "Ethan?"  
Ethan, gasping, fell against him, startling him. It seemed he'd been heading towards the lockers, so Jayden helped him over there as he flailed.  
Jayden tripped due to Ethan's spastic movements, and he ended up laying on top of Ethan right as he snapped out of it.  
"What...? Where-... Norman?" Ethan seemed confused.  
Incredibly flustered, Jayden quickly stood and cleared his throat. "Uh, I..."  
"Your face is red, Norman." Ethan said warmly, as he still wanted Norman to stay with him.  
"... I... I'll leave now."  
"No, Norman, wait." Ethan caught Jayden's hand and held it tightly as the agent turned to look at him with a look of fear. "I need your help."  
The two of them walked into the locker area together, Ethan refusing to let go of Jayden's hand lest he run away.  
Ethan quickly found the locker and opened it, revealing the box to Jayden.  
"What's this got t'do with me? It's a shoebox." Jayden muttered.  
Ethan opened the box, and Jayden's eyes widened when he saw the contents. He looked at Ethan, contemplating on what he should do.  
"... A'e ya... A'e ya the Origami..."  
"No, I swear to god that I'm not. I got a letter, and the ticket for this locker was inside. I just need to know that you're willing to defend me from Blake. He's going to try to stop me from completing the trials given to me by the Origami Killer."  
Jayden stared at him, looking torn. "How can I tell yer not lyin' to me?"  
"You can't, but please..." Ethan took both of Jayden's hands into his own. "Please, just believe me. Don't tell Blake about this and keep him distracted so I can complete the trials. It will save you from a lot of stress, just trust me."  
"... I have to go." Jayden pulled away and started walking. Ethan watched and sighed, hoping that he hadn't made a horrible mistake.

* * *

Carter Blake watched as Norman Jayden presented what information he'd managed to gather on the Origami Killer so far.  
"Just how large is this area?" asked Captain Perry about the size of the area in which the killer may live.  
"For the moment... about 10 square mile." Jayden said.  
Perry was silent, and Blake decided not to retaliate this time to Jayden's presentation, which Jayden seemed to indirectly appreciate.  
"I hope you and Blake are ready to interrogate the first suspect we know of."  
"And that is?" Jayden asked.  
"Nathaniel Williams. A God-fearing idiot who believes I'm the anti-Christ or some shit." Blake responded bitterly.  
"Whe'e does he live?" Jayden asked as he pulled his ARI off of the projector and slipped the glasses on, making odd gestures in the air in front of him.  
Blake told Jayden the address, and Jayden smirked in response to it.  
"He lives in the _exact_ geo-profilin' zone... Let's get goin' then, Blake."

* * *

Carter Blake entered the apartment of Nathaniel Williams with Norman Jayden at his side.  
'_This time, I won't let Nathaniel get his filthy hands on Jayden._' Blake thought determinedly.  
"Looks like no one's home. We're wastin' our time he'e."  
"You want to just go back to the station? We really don't have much proof that he is the killer. He spends all day in here anyways. Not sure where the captain got this lead."  
"From you?" Jayden asked with a raised brow and a small smirk.  
'_Damn, he's good!_' Blake narrowed his eyes at Jayden again. "Why don't you just fuck off, _Norman?_"  
Jayden's smile grew wider.  
The two of them started to walk down the stairs when they suddenly ran right into Nathaniel.  
"Anti-Christ!" He hissed at Blake as he dropped his bag and backed away.  
"Oh boy." Blake facepalmed.  
"Nathaniel Williams? I'm Nahman Jayden of the FBI. We just wanna ask y'a couple questions." Jayden spoke as if he were speaking to a foreigner who didn't fully understand English.  
"Stay back!" Nathaniel pulled out his handgun and aimed it at Jayden, who instantly held his hands up. "Get against the railing!"  
Blake and Jayden both obeyed. Nathaniel slowly reached down, picked up his bag, then started walking up the stairs.  
"Freak." Blake said bluntly.  
"Get out! Leave me be!" Nathaniel shouted as he gestured frantically for them to go down the stairs.  
Blake suddenly started feeling Jayden up.  
"B-Blake?! What the hell?!"  
Blake then found what he was looking for; Jayden's gun. He pulled it out and aimed it at Nathaniel, grabbing Jayden and pulling him close. "Drop the gun, Nathaniel." He ordered. Jayden was frozen in his arms, still trying to figure out what was going on.  
"I shall show you divine power!" Nathaniel roared as he aimed lower, aimed at Jayden.  
Before he could even think about pulling the trigger, Blake shot him in the head.  
Jayden watched in horror as Nathaniel dropped his gun and fell over limply.  
Blake simply stood there, staring with a content smile.  
"Oh my fuckin' god...! Ya... Ya killed 'im...!" Jayden said out of shock.  
"Yeah, looks like I did. Let's go, Jayden."  
Jayden tore free of his grip and looked at him as if he were insane. "He didn't do _enehthin'_ to deserve that, Blake! G-... C-... B-..." Jayden apparently forgot how to speak as he just kind of slumped against the wall, too shocked to do anything more.

* * *

Scott Shelby sat in his car, beating his head against the steering wheel. He had no reason whatsoever to continue; why he'd even started collecting the evidence again was beyond him.  
'_Blake already knows its me. Thankfully Jayden doesn't, so that could give me a second chance with him... But how will I get him alone?_' As Scott pondered this, Susan Bowles' house exploded.  
'_Nice. Well, that saves me some trouble._' Scott started to drive back to his apartment.

* * *

Ethan Mars stood on the balcony of the third floor of the Cross Road Motel. He hadn't even bothered to do the first trial. Why did he need to? Scott Shelby wouldn't move Shaun, he just knew it. Madison walked up to him eventually.  
"Have you seen that FBI guy, Jayden?" She asked.  
"Yes..." He said solemnly.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Things are changing too much involving him. I'm afraid that lieutenant Blake might be straying too far from what we've done before. I can't predict what Jayden might say or do next, and he actually _betrayed_ me when we first met this time!"  
Madison frowned. "I saw him in my dream again, but that wasn't any different..."  
"What?"  
"Oh, nothing. Just talking about girly things."  
"Okay."  
"Let's make love, Ethan."  
"Christ, Madison..."

* * *

Norman Jayden sat quietly in the car next to Carter Blake. The agent actually felt a bit scared of the lieutenant, so he just stayed silent and kept his thoughts to himself.  
'_He fuckin' shot him...! He felt me up, held me, and shot him...!_'  
"Jayden?"  
Jayden snapped out of his thoughts and looked over at Blake. "What?"  
"Something wrong?"  
Jayden scowled. "Y'know what's wron'."  
"I actually don't."  
"Ya killed him fer no reason!"  
"I'm not going to argue about this with you, _Norman._" Blake turned his gaze off of Jayden for once. He was startled when Jayden suddenly got out of the car, slammed the door shut, crossed his arms, and started to speed-walk with his head down.  
'_Was it something I said...?_' Blake wondered. He watched as Jayden, who wasn't watching where he was going, slammed right into Miroslav Korda. "Fuck."  
"Whoa man, what the fuck?!" Korda yelled, getting up in Jayden's face as he'd dropped his coffee.  
"Agh, shit, I'm sorry..." Jayden tried to back off, but Korda wouldn't let up, so Blake got out of the police car.  
"Hey, knock it off, you two!" He yelled.  
Korda saw him and shoved Jayden over before starting to run as if his life depended on it.  
Jayden jumped up and chased after him before Blake could even tell him not to bother.  
"Fuck's sake, _Norman..._" Blake ran after Jayden, who was following Korda, who was following a chicken.  
Eventually Blake managed to catch up just in time to pull out his own gun and shoot Korda before he brought the pipe down on Jayden's head.  
Jayden looked terrified in his daze, and this time he fainted without saying a word.  
"Fucking _asshole._"

* * *

Scott Shelby sat at his desk, waiting for Lauren Winter to appear. When the doorbell rung, he hurried over and opened it.  
"Oh, hello Lauren."  
She opened her mouth to reply, but Scott shoved a sock down her throat.  
"Not now, Lauren. Let's just go visit Gordi Kramer."  
"_Why?_" She asked as she spat out the sock.  
"Because I'm a private investimagatorrator."

* * *

Scott Shelby and Lauren Winter went together to the house of Gordi Kramer.  
"Wow! How much do you think he payed for all this shiny crap?" Lauren asked, bewildered by how many knickknacks filled the crowded 'mansion'.  
"I don't know and I don't really care." Scott replied coldly.  
Scott wandered around asking where Gordi was, when suddenly his eye was caught by someone who stood near the bar.  
'_No way... Why is he here?_'  
Near the bar stood Norman Jayden, who looked more than uncomfortable.  
Scott walked over, pretending to be there only to get a drink. "Uh... Hey!" Scott whisper screamed at Jayden after he poured a drink for himself.  
Jayden looked at him quietly.  
"Have you seen Gordi Kramer?"  
Jayden shook his head.  
"Ah, damn shame! He's a cool guy, you know?" Scott tried to muster up a conversation. "I think the music's a little loud, don't you?"  
Jayden seemed to find some humor in that, and he chuckled a little, nodding.  
"How about we continue this conversation somewhere a little quieter?"  
Jayden shrugged and stood from the wall. Scott couldn't help but smirk immensely as he led Jayden out into the spacious backyard, being careful not to be spotted by Lauren.  
"That's better!"  
"Why a'e ya still screamin'?" Jayden asked.  
"Oh. No reason." Scott stopped screaming and cleared his throat. "Just asthma."  
"Uh huh..."  
"So, what brings you here?"  
"I just need to get away from work fer a while..." Jayden admitted.  
"Really? What do you do?"  
"I'm an FBI agent, believe it or not."  
Scott narrowed his eyes, playing dumb. "Then why don't you arrest some people here? They're all doing drugs and illegal prostitution."  
"I'm considerin' myself off-duty fer now."  
"Aah~." Scott started jokingly teasing him. "A Bad Cop-type of guy, huh? I used to be in that line of work myself, but I was a police lieutenant. Now I'm a private investimagatorrator."  
"Really? ... Uh, what's yer name anyways?"  
"Scott Shelby. Nice to meet you, ..."  
"Norman Jayden."  
Scott held out his hand to be shook. "Nice to meet you, Agent Jayden."  
"Nice to meet you too, Scott Shelby." Jayden replied with a smile as he shook Scott's hand.  
Scott was very pleased that his relationship with Jayden was now starting on good terms. When Jayden left the party to return to Carter Blake, Scott left Lauren there and walked out to return to his apartment, because he didn't really need Lauren or Gordi.


	5. I Love You, I Hate You

Norman Jayden sat in his office, slumped down against the desk. He thought about telling Carter Blake about his meeting with Ethan Mars, but decided against it.  
'_He'd have Ethan killed too. Not worth it; I can tell that Ethan isn't the killah._'  
Suddenly, Blake burst through the door. "I was looking for you. Why'd you run off like that?"  
"Can't you just leave me alone fer a few seconds?"  
"No, Norman. I _love_ you." Blake took Jayden's pale hand and kissed it. "Your hands are so cold..."  
Jayden knew better than to resist Blake at this point, so he just kind of sat there with a bored expression. "Is the'e somethin' you wanted, or do y'just wanna kiss me?"  
"Well, actually, Grace Mars did come by. I think we should go to Ethan Mars' psychologist and question him."  
"Really? Why botha? Ethan isn't the killah."  
Blake frowned and glared at Jayden. "You've seen him, haven't you?"  
Jayden looked away. "Look, even if I wasn't a profilah and wasn't great with psychology, I'd still be able t'tell that Ethan isn't the Origami Killah. It just doesn't fit."  
Jayden was surprised to be yanked up from the chair by the collar of his dress shirt and then thrown to the floor.  
"Fucking _asshole!_ This is why I never should have let you out of my goddamned sight!" Blake pulled out his handgun, scaring Jayden.  
"Blake, a'e ya outta yer fuckin' mind?!"  
"Maybe I am, Norman. You drive me _crazy._"  
"Put the gun away!" Jayden backed away. '_Fuck, am I gonna have t'get through t'him with psychology...?!_'  
Blake grinned to see Jayden helpless, and he grabbed Jayden by the tie again, tugging him to his feet. "Let's go visit Mars' psychologist. We'll see his take on this, okay?"

* * *

At 9:55 PM, Carter Blake and Norman Jayden made it to Ethan Mars' psychologist.  
"Hello, doctor." Blake said in a civilized manner. He leaned against a chair. "I'm police lieutenant Carter Blake, and this is federal agent Norman Jayden. We'd just like to ask you a few questions."  
The psychologist glanced at Jayden. "Norman, you look quite depressed. Is something the matter?"  
Jayden looked up from his shoes to the doctor. "No. No, everythin's..." He sighed. "Everythin's alright."  
The psychologist shrugged and put his attention back on Blake. "What kind of questions are you needing me to answer?"  
"Questions about Ethan Mars."  
The doctor held his hand up stubbornly. "I am not permitted to share info about my patients. I have sworn to an oath of secrecy."  
Blake stormed over to him. "I haven't got any time for no goddamned shitty oath!"  
"Blake...!" Jayden quietly intervened.  
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, and then call the police to report your behavior!" The psychologist picked up the phone, which Blake yanked from him and threatened to hit him with.  
"_Blake!_" Jayden was a little louder this time.  
Blake looked back at him out of the corner of his eye. "Stay out of this, Jayden!"  
"Are you threatening me? _Really?_" The doctor was amazed.  
Blake smacked him with the phone.  
"_BLAKE!_" Jayden snarled with sudden anger that somewhat startled the lieutenant.  
'_Fuck's sake, not another argument between us where Jayden kicks my ass._' Blake started to back off when the psychologist suddenly sputtered.  
"Ethan has had severe psychological problems since Jason's death. Sometimes he tells me things that he cannot remember afterwards. I refused to say because I was scared; one of those things he told me was that he had drowned some children. He gave me this." The psychologist revealed an origami goose.  
Blake could clearly see the way Jayden's heart sank just by the look on his face. He couldn't help but smile. "Go wait in the car, Jayden." He said.  
Jayden slowly walked out of the room.  
Blake smirked and looked at the psychologist, pulling out his wallet and giving him some money.  
"This is twenty dollars less than I asked for, Carter." He stated.  
"You didn't execute it nearly as well as I thought you would have." With that, Blake opened the door, and was shocked to see Jayden standing there. "I thought I told you to wait in the car."  
"So, ya bribed 'im. Ya bribed 'im t'lie t'me."  
"Well... Jayden, I-"  
"I wondah, whe'e could that origami goose have come from... The one that I handed to ya? Or is it yer own?"  
"What are you saying?"  
"Oh, _nothin'._" Jayden nearly purred his words, doing the same hand gesture under his nose that he'd done at the crime scene as he turned his back on Blake. "Let's go back to the station."  
Blake watched as Jayden strolled outside.  
"You comin'? Or will you leave me alone fer once? That'd be very outta character fer the possessive Cahtah Blake." Jayden opened the front door and went out into the rain, leaving Blake standing in the dark hallway alone.  
'_Well fuck, that didn't work quite as I planned... He looked like he was about to start acting affectionate again, and the last time he did that, he shot me. I'd better be more careful about the way I play my cards._' Blake sighed and shook his head clear of his self-doubting thoughts before he followed Jayden into the car.  
He grabbed the radio and glanced at Jayden.  
Jayden stared straight ahead alertly, not paying any attention to Blake. He bobbed his foot impatiently, his arms crossed.  
Blake let out a small sigh before he turned the radio on. "I want all available officers to track down Ethan Mars. I want him arrested, alive. That's right, _Ethan Mars_ is the _Awrigami Killer._"  
Jayden made a scoffing noise and brought a hand to his mouth to cover his smirk.  
Blake put the radio down. "What's so funny, _Norman?_"  
Jayden waved it off, but didn't stop smiling.

* * *

Ethan Mars waited in the apartment on Marble Street for Madison Paige to arrive. He knew that Norman Jayden was probably outside already, but he was there with Carter Blake and a shitload of other cops who wanted him arrested. Considering he was there. Blake might have changed everything.  
'_I swear to fucking god, if Blake hurt Norman..._' Ethan paced, worried. He was only here so he could see Jayden again and make sure that nothing had seriously changed; if Blake had forced Jayden to go elsewhere, then he had no reason to even be here.  
Not soon enough, Madison entered the building.  
"Are they outside?" Ethan asked frantically.  
"Yes."  
"Norman's there?"  
"I think so."  
"Thank _god._"  
"Ethan, I have a question."  
"Yes, Madison?"  
"Two questions."  
"Shoot."  
"One, can I have your babies?"  
"No."  
"_Aww..._ Two, why don't we just go get Shaun right now?"  
Ethan did a poker face. "... We have to get Norman, I guess?"  
"Why don't we just tell him where Shaun is?"  
"BECAUSE MADISON, THIS STORY WOULD BE TOO SHORT IF WE DID THAT." Ethan shouted as he bitch-slapped Madison into the wall.  
"Christ, Etha-"  
"SHAUN" Ethan kicked over some cardboard boxes, unleashing an army of chickens against Madison.  
That was when Blake kicked the door open.  
"What the fuck...?" Jayden asked as he walked in and saw the onslaught of chickens.  
Ethan looked at Jayden, who looked back at him, and their eyes locked.  
Jayden gave Ethan an apologetic look.  
Ethan then dived backwards through the window and started to run, leaving Madison behind.  
Blake ran over to the window. "Jayden, help me through!"  
"Uh, Blake... No offense, but I think I might be the only one who can fit through that window."  
Blake ran out suddenly.  
Jayden quickly kicked the chickens off of Madison before struggling to climb out the window to get a headstart. He just barely got out faster than Blake could get into the alley, and he started to run like mad after Ethan, sliding over cars until he caught up with him.  
Ethan tried to avoid him at first, but Jayden soon grabbed him and started pulling him along down the steps into the subway.  
"Norman? Why are you helping me?" Ethan asked hastefully.  
"I know yer not the Origami Killah, and if Blake catches ya, I'm scared he'll fuckin' kill ya or somethin'! Just keep runnin'!" Jayden shoved Ethan ahead, and that's when Ethan realized that Jayden had dragged him through the most crowded part of the subway and to the escalators.  
Jayden then backed up into the crowd to make it seem that he had got caught within them, covering himself.  
Ethan didn't have time to thank Jayden right then and there, so he simply ran down the escalators and jumped down onto the train tracks.  
... However, his shoelace somehow got caught in the tracks.  
"WHAT THE FUCK?! _SHIT!_" It seemed he was destined to require help here, and he'd left Madison behind.  
"**NORMAAAAAN!**" Blake roared as he hurried down into the subway. He saw Jayden shove past some people and slide down the escalator railing, which fueled his anger as he shot at the ceiling to make the crowd disperse.  
Jayden had heard Ethan's scream, so he rushed over and jumped down onto the tracks without hesitance.  
"Norman!" Ethan nearly yelped from surprise as the train sped closer and closer to them.  
Jayden tried to get Ethan's shoe free before he eventually gave up and simply used all of his strength to rip the shoe off of Ethan's foot.  
The train was now incredibly close, and Ethan scurried up onto the landing on the opposite side of the escalators they'd come from.  
"_Norman!_" Ethan screamed a little louder as he shot his hand out.  
Blake made it down the escalators just in time to see the train go by. '_Oh please god, don't let Jayden have been on the tracks..._'  
He was relieved to see Jayden alive on the other side of the tracks, but was less than pleased to see Ethan on top of him on the platform, holding him tight.  
"Fuck, Norman, you could have been killed. Thank you for saving me." Ethan whispered into Jayden's ear.  
Flustered and still a bit numb from fear of death, Jayden only nodded.  
Blake dropped down onto the tracks and climbed up next to them, yanking them apart and placing tight handcuffs on Ethan's wrists.  
Ethan cringed. "Think you could loosen these?"  
"No way in hell, _Mars._" Blake growled.  
"Bl-" Norman started.  
"Don't even start, _Norman._"

* * *

Ethan Mars sat handcuffed to a table. In front of him stood Norman Jayden, who was being forced to be the one to ask all the questions. Carter Blake leaned against a wall to Ethan's immediate left.  
Jayden seemed incredibly stressed, meaning that Ethan had outright failed, and that his warning from the Lexington Station was completely useless.  
"Ethan, ..." Jayden sighed and leaned his head against the reflective glass mirror-window.  
"Well?" Blake cut in.  
"I have no questions to ask!" Jayden snapped at him. "I know he's not the killah! The'e is _nothing_ to ask!"  
"How can you be so sure, Norm?"  
Ethan watched them argue, sitting there quietly.  
"Fine. _I_ have a question to ask." Blake put a foot on Ethan's chair, ready to kick it over. "Where is Shaun?" He asked this even though he knew the answer.  
"I don't know." Ethan lied.  
"Where. Is. Shaun?"  
"Blake! Stop!" Jayden pleaded, looking worried and fearful for Ethan.  
"I. Don't. Know." Ethan mocked, getting all up in Blake's face.  
Blake kicked the chair away from Ethan, and in response, Ethan punched Blake with his free hand, managing to use his feet this time since he wasn't injured and weak.  
"Fucking _asshole!_" Blake flipped the desk, forcing Ethan to go down with it or break his wrist.  
"_Blake!_" Jayden shouted.  
Blake backhanded Jayden, causing him to fall to the ground as well. "Back the fuck off, _Norman!_" Blake then stomped toward Ethan and yanked him up as far as the handcuffs would allow.  
"What exactly is it that you have against me?!" Ethan demanded to know.  
"Everyth-"  
Before Blake could finish, he got a swift punch to the face from Jayden that was followed by a powerful kick to the groin.  
"F-F-Fuck..!" Blake choked out as he fell to the ground, incapacitated.  
Ethan cringed just a bit, but only because he was a man as well and seeing that kind of pain get inflicted made him feel nervous. "... Wow. That's one way to stop him."  
Jayden glared down at Blake with a sneer as his nose started to bleed.  
"Norman, are you alright?" Ethan asked, noticing the blood slide down Jayden's lip.  
"I'm fine.." Jayden managed to say, trying to force some stability into his voice.  
Blake recognized Jayden's current condition and, wanting to cause him some form of pain as revenge, forced himself to speak. "Why don't you go take some more of that drug, Norman?"  
Jayden froze up, now looking more worried than anything. "What a'e ya talkin' about...?" He tried to play dumb.  
Ethan shot Blake a cold glare, figuring that Blake was referring to that tube of blue powder that Jayden had wanted from Scott Shelby so much.  
"I know you're addicted to it, Norm. What did you call it, again? Triptocaine?"  
Only when Jayden stormed out looking and feeling completely humiliated did Blake remember that the camera was on and recording in the other room.  
"Oh shit." Blake mumbled.  
"You asshole, you've ruined _everything._" Ethan growled.  
"For once, I think you might be right..."  
Jayden slammed open the door to Captain Perry's office, not caring about how he might look with a bleeding nose and reddened, teary eyes. "Blake is tryin' to _beat_ a confession outta Ethan Mars! You've _gotta_ do somethin'!"  
Perry didn't seem to care about how Jayden looked. "So what? You can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. We're not going to let Shaun Mars die just to save this emotional wreck from some bruises and broken bones."  
Jayden slammed his palms down hard against Perry's desk. "_GODDAHMN,_ ETHAN MARS IS _INNOCENT!_"  
"This case has worn you out, Norman! Take a break and clear your head, then come back and reassess the situation, and you'll find that you weren't thinking straight by saying that lowlife is innocent!" Perry yelled back boldly.  
Wanting so badly to strangle Perry right then and there, Jayden clenched his hands into fists.  
'_Do it, Nahman. Kill him. Watch him choke; he doesn't deserve to live!_'  
Jayden resisted his addiction-induced thoughts and instead slammed his fists into the desk before storming out of Perry's office as well. He then kept his face covered as he marched quickly and angrily into his own office, slamming the door shut and sitting with his back against it, starting to cry out in frustration with his mouth covered to muffle the noise.  
'_What is _WRONG_ with these people?! They're completely fine with framin' someone innocent for no good reason and callin' the case _closed_?!_'  
Blake heard Jayden's cries as he approached the agent's office, so he quickly tried to open the door, only to find that it was being forced closed.  
"Jayden?! Jayden, open the door!"  
"Go the fuck away!" Jayden screamed at him.  
"Move so I can open the goddamned door, Jayden!"  
"Go _away!_"  
Blake wouldn't let up, making Jayden rip the door open in rage and lunge out, tackling Blake to the ground. Blake grabbed Jayden's wrist and the two of them flipped over, causing Blake to be the one on top.  
People started to crowd around them (mostly females, though) to watch the scene.  
Ethan heard the ruckus from the interrogation room, hoping that Jayden would still be able to free him after this.  
Perry soon barged out and saw the two of them fighting and, frankly, disrobing each other as they flipped around and clawed at the other. Jayden had, however, lost more than Blake had, as Jayden's strikes were aimed more towards his head.  
"What kind of sinful fanservice is going on here?!" Perry roared.  
The two of them stopped fighting and stared at each other. Blake stared with a look of libido while Jayden's gaze was wild from anger. Being the one who ended up on top, Jayden stood and picked up his suit jacket, tie, and belt. He stood there for a moment and did up the buttons on his dress shirt that had come undone, then he turned on his heel and marched into his office, slamming the door yet again.  
Blake was left sitting on the floor in a cloudy-headed daze. "So close..."


	6. Distressed 'Damsel'

Norman Jayden sat at the grand piano, playing a few notes before playing a whole section of a song. He messed up a note near the end, though, so he gave up and leaned his head against the keys.  
"Your vodka, sir." said the waiter who had arrived. "If you don't mind me saying, sir, you seem preoccupied. Trouble with the case?"  
"That too. What the hell was Blake tryin' to do to me the'e? That's strangely the biggest question on my mind right now."  
"Perhaps you should inform his boss."  
"What good would that do? He won't listen to me."  
"What about that Ethan Mars character, sir?"  
"... I like him. I really do. I just hope my feelin's a'en't gettin' in the way of my judgement... He does seem innocent, and the geopro-" Before Jayden could finish, his ARI glasses were quite literally punched off of him.  
Blake stood beside him, looking furious. "So the truth comes out!"  
"Fuck! Blake, what the hell?!"  
"I'll smash those fucking glasses! '_I hope my feelings aren't getting in the way of my judgement_'. Hah! Your judgement's blind as a fucking bat when it comes to him, Norm! So you like him, is that it?! You love him?! You wanna get him off?!"  
"Blake, stop!" Jayden's face reddened a bit and he tried to shove Blake, who was getting closer and closer, away from himself.  
"Be a man, Norman! Is it true?! Is what I say about your relationship with Ethan Mars fucking _true?!_"  
"Fuck off, Blake! Back the fuck off, or I _will_ info'm Captain Perry about how you keep tryin' to _rape_ me!"  
"Don't flatter yourself, kid!" However, Blake was already trying to get Jayden's belt off again.  
Jayden slapped him right across the face.  
"Hah! You trying to fight me with the force of a woman, Norm?! Not gonna work!"  
"Would you ratha the force of a man?!" Jayden slammed his fist into Blake's cheek, sending the man reeling. "I'm not afraid to kick you in the balls again if you _evah_ come on to me like that again, Blake." That said, Jayden walked out and slammed the door.  
'_He really fucking _loves_ to slam doors today, doesn't he?_' Blake rolled his eyes at the thought. '_Fuck, he's probably going to go free Ethan... Oh, fuck it! Let him! I'll kill him either way, I know that for sure now!_'  
Jayden hurried into the interrogation room. There was a cop inside who sort of laughed to see Jayden, and the agent sneered.  
"Leave us alone." Jayden ordered.  
"Uh... But _your man_ told me to stay."  
"GET. _OUT._" Jayden ordered again, much more harsh.  
"Okay, excuse me, princess." The cop walked out of the room, but was surely right outside.  
"What's he talking about, Norman?" Ethan asked quietly.  
Jayden helped Ethan up and corrected the desk's position in the room, giving him his chair back before sitting across from him and sighing. "Blake wouldn't leave me alone, so I attacked him, and he countah'd this by tryin' to _strip_ me in front of everyone in the station..." He mumbled shamefully.  
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "The _fuck_ he did...!"  
"He came at me just a minute ago and tried again... Ethan, I'm a little scared."  
Ethan felt his hate for this lieutenant growing even stronger. "Jayden, this might sound crazy, bu-"  
"I'm gettin' you outta he'e." Jayden cut in with exactly the same idea Ethan was about to 'suggest'. "I can't have him hurt ya enehmo'e than he has already."  
"But what about you, Norman?"  
Norman shook his head. "Ya just think' about yerself and Shaun. I'll be fine; Shaun's the one that really needs yer help."  
Ethan opened his mouth to argue further, but before he could, Jayden stood.  
"Stay quiet about this. I'll go find the handcuffs and a disguise fer ya." Jayden walked out of the room, being replaced by the cop again.  
Ethan leaned his head against the desk, mixed emotions boiling up inside him. '_God fucking damn that Carter Blake._'  
Jayden walked out of the interrogation room only to have everyone stare at him, some suppressing laughter. Jayden couldn't stop himself from sneering at them. He walked into the observation room.  
"You can go. I'll watch ovah him." He said over the microphone.  
"Alright, princess. Watch your rear. Cuffs are on my desk in case you need to have him jerk you off with two hands."  
"Just get the fuck outta the room."  
The cop left Ethan alone in the room and Jayden noticed that the camera was off.  
'_I certainly hope it didn't catch Blake spillin' the secret about my addiction to Tripto... How did he know, enehways? I'll have to ask 'im latah._' Jayden walked out and looked for the cuffs.  
Everyone was staring at him still.  
'_If they want flamboyant and gay, I'll fuckin' show them flamboyant and gay._' With that thought, Jayden started to dance seductively over to the desk to (by some logic) lessen suspicions.  
Perry watched and covered his face, shaking his head, while Blake stood near him and got a little hot under the collar.  
'_What the fuck am I doin'._' Jayden wanted to just drop the act and fall to the floor laughing, but he had to get the keys.  
Once he made it to the desk with the keys, he shot his leg up and rubbed it a little, gazing at everyone who stared at him in turn with this cheeky grin on his flushed face.  
Everyone either cheered or laughed, not noticing that while he was rubbing his leg, he had picked up the keys and hid them up his sleeve.  
He then dropped his leg from the desk and started to strut back to the interrogation room. He gave Blake a very blunt wink and a "_chk-chk_" before gracefully picking up a coat someone had left and walking back into the interrogation room. Once inside, he instantly dropped his act and held the door closed with his back against it, looking as though he'd seen a ghost.  
"That didn't take too long. What happened?" Ethan asked.  
"I just had to do the most embarrassin' I've had to do in my entiah life to get these goddahmn keys."  
"And that is?"  
"Trust me, Ethan, ya wouldn't undahstand." Jayden walked over and undid the cuff holding Ethan's wrist to the desk and handed him the coat. "Ya have to go fast. Don't _stop_, don't _talk_, _don't even th-_"  
Ethan grabbed Jayden by the collar of the shirt, which set the agent off until he was kissed passionately. Jayden didn't know what to do exactly; he just sort of stood there awkwardly, accepting the kiss.  
Ethan pulled away. "Why don't you kiss back?"  
Blake stormed in to see them making out on the floor. "WHAT THE SHIT IS _THIS_ FUCKERY?! I LEAVE YOU TWO ALONE FOR THREE FUCKING MINUTES AND YOU'RE ALREADY MAKING OUT?!"  
Jayden gasped to see Blake there and pulled away from Ethan. Blake pulled out his handgun and started to corner Jayden, but Ethan then revealed that he had taken Jayden's gun during the makeout session and he aimed it at Blake.  
"Hands on your head. Drop the gun, or I'll shoot you in the head right now, lieutenant." Ethan demanded harshly.  
"Clever man." Blake said sarcastically as he put the gun down. "I won't let you be the one to get Norman, Mars."  
"Too late, lieutenant."  
Jayden narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two of them. "Wait... Was this a _bet_ between y'two?"  
"What? No!" Ethan denied it, but Blake laughed.  
"He catches on so quickly, doesn't he, Mars?"  
Jayden scowled at both of them.  
"Norman, Christ! Who are you going to believe, him or me?!" Ethan tried to plead with him while Blake continued to lie.  
Jayden's glare softened and was then directed with full force at Blake alone.  
"Oh, oh, so you'll believe the crazy-schizophrenic-child-murderer, but not _me?_ I'm hurt, _Norman._" Blake batted his eyelashes with puppy dog eyes and a quivering frown.  
"That look really doesn't suit ya, Blake. If yer tryin' to look like a puppy, yer lookin' like a real ugly one." Jayden then gestured to Ethan. "Just go. I'll handle this."  
"No, I-"  
"Go. Shaun needs ya. I'll be _fine._"  
Looking at Jayden, then at Blake, and then back at Jayden, Ethan hesitantly put the coat on, slipped the gun away, and hurried out of the police station, hoping that leaving Jayden behind wouldn't come back to haunt him.

Scott Shelby entered Manfred's typewriter shop with Lauren Winter close behind.  
"Manfred~!" Scott cooed, happy to see an old friend.  
"Scott~!" Manfred hugged him, and Scott took pleasure in scarring Lauren again.  
Scott then quickly shot Manfred in the face.  
"OH MY GOD, _SCOTT!_" Lauren looked horribly disturbed.  
"What?"  
"Why'd you shoot him?!"  
"Did I shoot him? Oops." Scott then picked up the phone to call the police.  
"Scott, no!" Lauren grabbed his arm with her small hands. "If you call the cops they might arrest you! Please, don't... I don't want to be alone."  
Oh, how Scott loved her so. Right then and there, he kissed her, but then the cops barged in.  
At the police station, Scott sat next to Ash, who questioned him with rhetorical questions. Scott said whatever to them, alternating between yes and no without truly hearing the questions.  
'_Where is Jayden? I don't see him anywhere... and why is Blake pacing like a worried spouse?_' Scott put two and two together to get _six_, then he jumped up and walked over, ignoring Ash, who kept running his mouth.  
Blake kept pacing, looking at the floor.  
"Hey, Carter." Scott said casually.  
Blake looked over at him. "I should scream out your true identity right now." He growled.  
"Yeah, you probably _should,_ but you won't for the sake of the story. Say, where's that sick guy from before?" Scott asked, not certain if Blake knew yet that he was knowledgeable on Jayden, more so than the lieutenant.  
"Fuck if I know, that's why I'm so worried. He disappeared!"  
"Hmm, too bad. I'd find him, if I were really a private investimagatorrator."  
"Get the fuck out, Scott."  
Scott blasted into orbit around the building.

Ethan Mars stood in front of the door of Brad Silver's apartment. He wanted to kill this guy regardless of necessity, mostly to take out some of his rage that had been caused by Carter Blake.  
Silver opened the door with this adorable face that made Ethan hesitate.  
"_Awwwww..._"  
Silver then turned into a disgruntled Asian.  
Ethan had never aimed and shot a handgun faster.

Madison Paige was sitting on her motorcycle, petting a chicken that she had grown fond of.  
A meteor suddenly wiped her (but not the chicken, mind you) off of the face of the earth.  
"Moo." announced the chicken as it floated gracefully into the stratosphere.

Jackson Neville, better known as Mad Jack, sat in his construction vehicle, moving a car.  
"Could ya _stop_ that thin'?" asked a voice from behind him that startled him. He took his time in turning off the vehicle before he glanced over his shoulder.  
Behind him was a skinny, pale white guy. He had a black eye and looked to be having trouble even standing, and he also had bruises elsewhere that Jack could see. Yet the man still looked moderately determined, even as he shivered from the constant pour of the chilled rain. Jack got out of the construction vehicle and stood in front of the man, nearly towering over him.  
"I'm Agent Nahman Jayden of the FBI. Could we talk?"  
"I'm listening."  
"Could we go inside?"  
Jayden sounded so pitiful as he asked that, that Jack had to let him inside his garage. He made a gesture and walked inside, Jayden following closely behind him before retreating a little further into the semi-dry grey garage.  
"I'm lookin' fer the ownah of a blue Chevrolet Malibu '83. I don't care how ya got it, or if y'stole it or not. All I wanna know is who y'sold it to."  
"You got a lotta nerve, cracker, to waltz into _my_ junkyard bruised 'n shit just to accuse me of being a no-good thief."  
"Jack, I've seen yer records. Please, I need to know who y'sold the car to."  
"Sorry, I got a real bad memory for names."  
"Fine, be an asshole about it. Mind if I take a look around?"  
"I don't care. You ain't gonna find anything of interest to _your_ likes here anyways." Jack left Jayden alone in the garage, starting up the vehicle, but getting out quietly and preparing to shoot if Jayden found anything secret.  
Jayden stood, wobbling, in Mad Jack's garage. He pulled out his ARI and put it on. His bruised eye started to hurt as he looked through the ARI, but he dismissed it.  
'_Must still ache because of what Blake did to me. God, I need t'get a restrainin' ordah on him soon as I get back to Washington._'  
Back at the station after Ethan Mars had left, Carter Blake had beaten Jayden savagely. The agent tried to fight back, but as usual, that only resulted in an increase in Blake's libido. Now Jayden felt completely ashamed and humiliated, _and_ he could hardly stand.  
'_I need a break... I need to take a nice, long, Blake-less break..._'  
He let the ARI do its think and was immediately greeted by the presence of washed blood on the floor.  
"ARI Comment... blood on the floor, leading to the acid bath... Why is the'e blood he'e?" Jayden knelt next to the acid bath to lift the metal cover, only to see another drop of blood land near the initial blood. He reached out and touched it with a finger on the ARI glove, and was then shocked to see the ARI start displaying his own information.  
'_I'm bleedin'? From wh'e?_' Jayden reached up with his ungloved hand and felt his face a bit. He felt blood on his right cheek, under his black eye. '_Fuckin' Blake... I'll get him back for this somehow._' Jayden thought, assuring himself that the bleeding had to do with the beating and not the ARI.  
Suddenly, Jayden felt the barrel of a cold handgun against the back of his neck.  
"Hands on your head, _pig._" Jack ordered.  
Jayden cursed silently and stood, doing as he was told.  
"One of your cop buddies asked too many questions. I had to shut him up." Jack said almost casually as he gestured at the acid bath; Jayden felt ill when he realized what Jack meant.  
"Get inside the garage. I ain't got time for this shit..." Jack pressed the gun harder against Jayden's neck, forcing him to go further into the garage.  
Jayden looked frantically for a way to get out of this situation, and he found one. He kicked backwards a piece of scrap metal that had been on the floor and threw himself for a wrench, immediately using it to swipe at Jack... who caught his arm and flipped him over.  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bad move, boy."  
Jayden struggled to get up, but then found himself unable to as Triptocaine withdrawal suddenly came back into effect now that the ARI had fallen off. He groaned in agony as he started to see double and he just lay there.  
"What's wrong, did you break something?" Jack snickered. "Don't worry, I'll make all of your pain go away real fast..." The stronger man knocked Jayden out swiftly with a punch to the face.

Blake had eventually had a moment of shame when he realized he knew _exactly_ where Jayden had gone, and then that shame turned to immense worry.  
'_Fuck, he's gone to Mad Jack! He'll get himself killed!_' Blake rushed out without saying a word to anyone and jumped into a squad car. '_I hope I'm not too late...!_' He stepped on the gas pedal and drove as fast as he could to Mad Jack's junkyard. Once there, he practically dived out of the car. "JAYDEN!" He screamed loud enough to make Mad Jack hesitate in dropping Jayden's car, in which Jayden was unconscious, into the compressor.  
"The _fuck_ are you?" Mad Jack shouted at him. "Best stay back, lest I pop a cap in your ass!"  
"Jack, stop! Leave Jayden alone!"  
"Nope." Jack giggled like a hyena as he released the car, letting it crash on its side into the compressor.  
Blake stared with his jaw hanging and his eyes widened in shock as Jayden's scream filled the air over the sound of the car being crushed.  
Suddenly, just as soon as the car had started being crushed, it flew, spinning, up into the air. Blake and Jack both watched it until it came down on Jack's construction vehicle, somehow sending it to another planet. The car landed on its four wheels and Jayden jerked with its landing, looking traumatized and afraid.  
"Wh-.. No... That... CUT. _NO._ THAT'S NOT RIGHT! WHAT THE _FUCK?!_ THE PHYSICS ENGINE _DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT!_ THIS MOMENT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE _TRAGIC!_" Blake yelled at the sky, cursing the player/author's existence.

Scott Shelby sat at his desk. Lauren was sitting across from him.  
They sat in silence.  
"Hey, Lauren, stay here." Scott said as he stood and put on his coat. "I'm just going to go run an errand or two for the sake of story connection."  
"What? You're just going to leave me here?" She argued, pouting.  
"Yeah."  
"Why?"  
"PRIVATE INVESTIMAGATORRATOR..." Scott purred like a jazz singer as he moonwalked out of his apartment.


	7. Private Investimagatorrator's Plan

Scott Shelby sat in his car outside of the hotel that Norman Jayden was staying at. He couldn't be sure this time that Jayden would be here, but it was worth a shot to at least check.  
With a nervous sigh, Scott got out of his car and walked inside the hotel. "I'm here to see a Norman Jayden?" He asked the receptionist.  
The receptionist shrugged ponderously. "No hablo Inglés."  
Scott was then naked.  
"Es sexy."  
"Thanks." Scott magically re-clothed himself as he called the elevator.  
When he got to Jayden's room, Scott quietly tried to open the door. To his delight, it was unlocked, however it being this way made Scott wonder if the door could even be locked at all. That idea now in his head and worrying him slightly, Scott opened the door even slower.  
It would have taken the skills of a private investimagatorrator (which Scott had) to hear the shower running.  
'_Is he taking a shower right now?_'  
The presence of Jayden's suit, folded neatly on the bed, suggested so.  
'_I don't see Blake or any sign that he's been here..._' Scott raised a brow at this point as he slowly crept into the room.  
After a moment, Scott shot around to stare at the bathroom door. Jayden had started to cry, setting off plenty of alarm bells in Scott's head.  
'_What happened while I wasn't watching him? Why is he crying?_' Scott nearly knocked on the bathroom door, but he forced himself not to. '_Christ almighty, I must have lost my mind! If he asks why I'm here, I have nothing to say! While I hate to leave him alone without figuring out what's wrong, I have no choice but to leave..._' Scott headed for the door slowly, opening and closing it gently as he made his swift exit.

* * *

Norman Jayden stood in the shower, enjoying the hot water only half as much as he would have had his days not been so shitty recently. He was crying, yes, and because of that he felt like more of a sissy.  
When he had come to after being attacked by Mad Jack, he found himself inches from death, handcuffed to his car's steering wheel with the car itself inside the powerful jaws of Jack's compressor.  
He screamed as loud as he could, then suddenly noticed he was no longer in the compressor, but was instead being thrown about inside the car and appeared to be outside?  
The car fell and landed on something briefly before falling to a sudden stop on the ground in front of lieutenant Carter Blake. Jayden nearly slammed his face into the steering wheel, and then he sat there, dumbfounded and terrified.  
Blake started screaming at the sky something about a physics engine, and meanwhile Jayden turned the steering wheel to move his hands and somehow managed to start the ignition. He wanted to get as far away from Blake as possible.  
"What? Jayden, wait!"  
Jayden used his leg to put the car into drive and then slammed down on the gas pedal, starting to drive. Somewhat.  
Blake cursed and jumped into his squad car; Jayden sped out of Jack's junkyard as fast as he could.  
'_Fuck, fuck, fuck! I need to lose him! He'll kill me if he does what he did again!_' While he drove, Jayden tugged frantically at his cuffs, not caring that he was digging them into his wrists and only wanting them off. He continued to drive blindly, eventually managing to kick the glovebox open and kick the gun over to himself over the dashboard. He grabbed the gun and quickly tried his best to shoot the cuffs off. The noise of the gun firing startled him even though he'd been expecting it, because he somehow didn't think it'd be so loud. His foot slipped from the gas pedal and onto the brakes, jerking him forward again, and this time he hit his forehead on the steering wheel and was thrown into a daze.  
Blake pulled his car to a quick halt behind Jayden's car, which had suddenly stopped.  
'Did he try to shoot off his handcuffs and hurt himself?' Blake jumped out of his car and rushed over to the driver's side door, squinting through the cracked window. Jayden was clutching his forehead, his face contorted in agony.  
"Jayden!" Blake punched through the window carelessly.  
Jayden looked at him, bleeding from his right eye and now his forehead, and started swatting at him. "Get away from me!" He howled, near wild as he slammed onto the gas pedal again and sped off.  
Blake cursed loudly, watching as Jayden got away. '_I'll get him later._'  
Jayden eventually got back to the hotel (a so-called "resort") he was staying at. He got out of his car and tried to walk inside, but inevitably slumped to his knees.  
'_I'm so weak and outta it right now... God, I hope I don't have a concussion... I feel like I'm gonna hurl, too... Bettah get inside fast..._' Jayden forced himself to his feet and walked inside. Once in the elevator, Jayden leaned against the wall, resting his eyes. '_So tiahd..._' He nearly fainted, so he tried to shake himself awake. '_No, if I pass out now, it just might be the end'a me. I gotta hang in the'e, if only just fer Ethan and Shaun's sake..._'  
The agent quickly retreated into his hotel room, and went straight to the bedside table. He picked up the tube of Triptocaine that sat there.  
'_I'll take some... Just a little, just one mo'e time... I hurt too much, I need to take some._' Before he could argue with himself by attempting to utilize his knowledge in psychology, he snorted a small amount of the blue powder. '_Not enough... Not enough, I need to take mo'e..._'  
Jayden proceeded to snort the rest of the powder in the tube. When he noticed the tube was empty, he dropped it and started to freak out. '_My God... I still need mo'e... This is gonna kill me! Maybe... Maybe a showah will help. Please let a showah help..._' Almost frantic at this point, Jayden undressed, folding his suit onto the bed neatly. He walked into the bathroom only to slip on the clean floor. After regaining a little bit of his composure, Jayden stood and turned the shower on, hoping that Blake wouldn't somehow find him and barge in as he started to cry, feeling overwhelmed and half wishing that he had never left Washington.

* * *

Scott Shelby sat in his car again, now holding the empty Triptocaine tube that he'd stealthily snatched from Jayden's room before leaving.  
'_And so it starts. Hopefully he won't notice that this tube is gone._' He sighed, feeling sorry for Jayden. '_His death may come sooner than anyone expects if he keeps getting dragged down this path by Carter and Ethan... Perhaps I can fix this, though. Perhaps if I intervene, I can save Jayden, and maybe myself, too..._' Scott then had an idea, a great idea that he wondered why he'd never thought of before. With that idea firmly rooted into his conscious mind, Scott put the car into drive and headed back for his apartment.

* * *

Since Madison Paige had been wiped off of the face of the Earth, she was unable to visit Paco Mendes.

* * *

Norman Jayden walked into the Blue Lagoon in search of Paco Mendes. He had decided against the idea of trying to arouse Paco and was instead just going to bluntly put it out there that he was an FBI agent. He walked over to the bar and thought about getting a drink.  
'_No... No need to be mo'e impared than I already am..._' Regardless of his mind saying no, his body said yes and he ended up with a cup of beer in his hand. '_What's up with me? No, no, I'm fine. Nothin's up with me, I'm just a little tiahd... I'm in full control of myself._' He thought this to himself repeatedly as he "drowned his sorrows", trying to convince himself of this.  
By the time the cup was empty, Jayden already felt a tad tipsy. He figured that Paco must have an office upstairs, and he climbed slowly up the steps. The guard standing in front of the door glared at him, so he revealed his federal identification. The guard then backed down, which made Jayden smile.  
'_Good to know I still have authority ovah _some_ people._' Jayden opened the door and stepped into the hallway that lead to Paco's office. He knocked on the office's door once.  
No response.  
He knocked again, rougher this time.  
Scott Shelby, who had been waiting inside in his disguise, hid behind the door as it swung open.  
'_Jayden's here. Dammit, I feel horrible for what I'm going to do already... but it has to be done._' The private investimagatorrator scowled.  
Jayden stepped inside and saw Paco sitting limp in his chair. He raised a brow and turned Paco around.  
Paco Mendes was dead, a bullet wound between his eyes.  
Jayden felt strangely indifferent to seeing this corpse before him. That's when he heard the door close behind him. He could feel someone lingering close behind him, and he froze up briefly. Slowly, he reached for his gun and pivoted on his feet, onto to be shoved back with so much force that he slid over the desk and fell roughly to the floor.  
Scott grabbed the katana off of the wall and raised it to impale Jayden, who spun away from the swipe to Scott's relief.  
Scott managed to cut Jayden across the stomach again, and Jayden let out a pained noise as he tried to get away. Dropping the katana, Scott lift Jayden up by his raincoat and threw him across the room; he slammed into the fish tank and was forced to the floor by the water.  
Trembling intensely, Jayden tried to stand. Scott walked over and kicked Jayden in the stomach, effectively crippling him with pain as he'd kicked his fresh wound.  
Scott was about to strut out when Jayden threw himself out and managed to catch Scott's hand. Scott shot him a look through his disguise.  
"Ya've seen me befo'e, I can tell...!" He choked out weakly through fatigued pants. "Who a'e ya...?! Please, l-let me know...!"  
Scott smirked under his scarf and backhanded Jayden. He felt bad about this, but it was a little fun if he pretended it wasn't Jayden whom he was beating to beyond an inch of life. Jayden collapsed to the floor, and Scott hurried out.  
'_Now to engage in part two of this scheme..._'  
Jayden got to his feet as fast as he could and hurried out after the Origami Killer, but he'd already disappeared.  
"Fuck!" Jayden cursed aloud, hitting the railing. He turned to glare at the guard. "Did Paco know the guy who came t'see him?"  
"Sorry, I don't speak _cop._"  
Jayden threw the man over the railing and trudged back into Paco's trashed office to see if he could find anything with his ARI. He then realized he'd forgotten his ARI at Mad Jack's junkyard.  
'_Perfect. Just fuckin' perf-... What the...?_' Jayden could see, quite clearly, the light green highlight of the orchid pollen traces as if they were being pointed out by the ARI. Jayden rubbed his eyes; still there. '_Am I seein' thin's now? God, I feel so weird... I need help... I really need help..._' Jayden grabbed at his hair, feeling stressed, and therefore starting to feel the need for Tripto.  
There was a brief knock on the door to Paco's office that alarmed Jayden. In stepped the one and only Scott Shelby, who seemed shocked by what a mess the office was. That or he was shocked by Jayden's presence.  
"What in the world happened here?" Scott asked with a brow raised.  
Jayden tried to hide his inner turmoil from Scott as he spoke. "I haven't the faintest fuckin' idea... I walked in and was greeted by the fuckin' Origami Killah. He attacked me..."  
Scott only just then noticed Jayden's black eye. '_Is that from Carter? Goddammit._' He said nothing about it though, trying to play dumb. "Are you okay? You really look like you're on the brink of destruction."  
'_Nice way of puttin' it..._' Jayden thought humorously. "I'm... I'm fine. I just..." Jayden suddenly found himself unable to speak. '_No, no, no, not now! Not now!_'  
Scott watched as Jayden started to tip over, and he shot out his arms to catch the agent. "Shit! Jayden, can you hear me?"  
The private investimagatorrator felt for breathing and a pulse before he allowed himself to sigh in relief. '_He's only unconscious. That Triptocaine stuff really is destroying him rapidly..._'

Carter Blake sat at his desk, trying to preoccupy himself with videos of cats on YouTube. Next to his mouse was Norman Jayden's ARI, which he'd left behind at Mad Jack's junkyard. He was worried about Jayden.  
Just when he felt like he was going to flip his desk and send out a search party, he heard someone shout his name. He looked to his right and instantly stood so quickly that his chair flew through the far wall.  
His name had been called by Scott Shelby. Scott carried Jayden, who was unconscious and wounded.  
"Oh my God. What the fuck happened?!" Blake hurried over, but Scott refused to hand Jayden over to him.  
"Where can I lay him?"  
"Uh, I think one of the cells is empty. That could work."  
Scott placed Jayden down in one of the cells.  
Blake frowned at him. "You didn't answer my question."  
"He's destroying himself because of _you_, Carter." Scott replied in a casual tone.  
"The fuck do you mean?"  
"I mean, _you fucked up._ Jayden's going to die if this continues."  
"How can you be so sure, you lying sack of shit? In fact, how can I be certain that you didn't attack him?"  
"Oh, I did. I'm not going to lie about that; the cut on his stomach as well as the bruises there are my fault."  
Blake tried to punch Scott, but Scott dodged.  
"Fucking _asshole!_" The lieutenant shouted.  
Jayden jolted awake to the sound of Blake's yell and looked at the two of them with panic.  
"Relax, Jayden. You're safe now."  
"Safe...?" Jayden had a smirk of disbelief on his face.  
"Well, from the Origami Killer, that is. I brought you back here... though I wish Blake wasn't here."  
Blake's face flushed with anger. "I think we need to talk, Scott."  
"_Blake._" Jayden snarled. "Leave him _alone._"  
"Calm the fuck down, _Nor_man; I know Scott. I won't kill him." Blake countered.  
Jayden seemed distrusting.  
"Just rest for a little while, Jayden. I'll keep Blake busy."  
Jayden nodded slowly before laying down and trying to rest.

After a brief argument with Blake, Scott sneaked back to Jayden. He stepped into the semi-closed cell as quietly as he could, but it didn't seem to make a difference; Jayden's eyes snapped open and he sat up.  
"Couldn't sleep?" Scott asked.  
Jayden shook his head. "Too much pain..."  
"Where does it hurt the most?"  
"Surprisin'ly, my head... My head feels like its gonna explode..." Jayden backed his statement up by clutching his head.  
Scott frowned. "Any way I can help?"  
"I... the sky... crystal..."  
"Jayden, you aren't making any sense. Is there any way that I can help you?"  
"The'e a'e traces of cigarette smoke exactly 1.5 yards to yer right... I thought smokin' wasn't allowed in the station?" Jayden responded, his eyes opened wide and unblinking, appearing a bit sunken into his skull.  
Scott raised a brow, and not too soon after, caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. "How did you know about the smoke...?"  
Jayden didn't respond other than a blink; he kept holding onto his head as though he were preventing it from falling off of his neck.  
The private investimagatorrator sighed as he held the tense agent close to whisper into his ear.  
Hearing what Scott had to say would have made Jayden's eyes widen if he could open them any wider. He gazed at Scott when he pulled away, but had trouble focusing his vision. He tried to blink his eyes clear, but he was still seeing translucent doubles.  
Scott pat Jayden's shoulder and stood before leaving the police station. Jayden slowly and shakily turned his wide-eyed stare to the floor, not saying a single word.

* * *

Ethan Mars stood in his motel room, pacing. He was worried not just about Norman Jayden, but about Madison Paige as well.  
'_Where the hell did Madison go? I really need to talk to someone..._'  
Besides this, Ethan was worried about Jayden. '_I left him with lieutenant Blake when Blake seemed pissed... I hope he didn't hurt Norman. But right now, I have to go give myself brain cancer._'  
With a sigh, Ethan walked out of his motel room and drove into a black hole.

* * *

Scott Shelby stepped into his apartment only to find Lauren Winter standing inside, looking uncomfortable.  
"Lauren?"  
"I'm sorry, Scott... but General Hospital got... _cancelled_..."  
Scott fell to his knees. "_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ! !_"  
They held each other close, crying.

* * *

Madison Paige managed to fall back onto Earth somehow. She landed next to some homeless guy.  
They then ate chicken together to the catchy rhythm of smooth jazz.


	8. Ethan's Choice

Ethan Mars drove out of the black hole and dived through the window. He hurried into the building before him and ran through the red hallway. The GPS on the table had a video to show this time,  
Ethan pressed the play button on the "GPS" screen and watched as the video started. A man in a bulky coat with his face covered stood in a room. Behind him was a man slumped in a chair. Ethan watched carefully and listened in.  
The man hid behind some curtains near the door, and shortly after the door opened, and in walked Norman Jayden. Jayden looked over at the man in the chair and slowly turned the chair around, revealing that the man was dead with a bullet wound in between his eyes.  
Ethan watched as the disguised person moved out from the curtains, sneaking up on Jayden from behind.  
'_No..._'  
The person attacked Jayden with the katana from the wall, getting Jayden across the stomach before the two of them disappeared from the camera. Ethan could still hear Jayden struggling, though. Jayden was soon thrown across the camera and he slammed into the fish tank, being forced down by the water. The man tried to walk away, but Jayden jolted his arm up and grabbed his hand.  
Ethan heard him plea for the attacker's identity before getting brutally denied with a harsh backhand slap that made him drop back to the floor. As Ethan watched, he shed a single tear.  
Jayden forced himself to his feet and ran out, at which point the video skipped to Jayden entering the room again. Jayden searched his chest pocket for something before sighing loudly in frustration. He then looked startled as he stared at something that Ethan couldn't see. He rubbed his eyes, then his hands fluttered to his neck and he started to cackle like a madman. His hands moved up to his hair, which he tugged at, but then there was a knock on the door and he looked at the source of the noise.  
The playback ended there, yet Ethan continued to stare at the screen.  
"How far are you willing to go to save the people you love?" The GPS asked in its monotone female voice. "You now have a choice to make. Who do you care for most?"  
Ethan's heart started to race and his jaw dropped. "No... No, you can't... _You can't make me choose!_"  
"You must smack this fried turkey to get brain cancer. Then you must decide: will you save your son, or will you save Norman Jayden?"  
Ethan smacked the turkey and derped for just a second. '_Shaun. There's no choice, I have to save Shaun. But what about Norman? What will happen to Norman if I save Shaun instead of him? Will he go mad... or worse?_'  
Ethan hurried outside and jumped back into his car. "_... Fuck!_" He slammed his fists against the steering wheel a few times before he started driving as fast as he could.

* * *

Norman Jayden sat at his desk in his office. He'd begged to be alone for a while, and Blake eventually gave in. Jayden sat now in the rolling chair, inspecting his ARI glasses for any damage; Blake hadn't noticed that he'd snatched them back off of his desk.  
'_Doesn't look like the'e's any damage... Good._' With just a little bit of hesitance, Jayden slipped the glasses on. The ARI forest was presented to him in all its sentimental glory, and he brought up his evidence. It only took him a second to see that the useless origami goose and orchid were gone. '_What the...? Wh'e'd those two pieces of evidence I collected go...?_'  
Curious, Jayden threw the evidence aside and opened his files; all that remained was the truly important information and the profile that Jayden had slaved to put together.  
'_I... I guess that's okay. Still curious whe'e this info went, but as long as the ARI doesn't purge any _important_ info..._'Jayden started to look through his evidence again. '_I need to work fast. Shaun Mars doesn't have much time, and I haven't a single suspect to go on yet...!_'  
The FBI agent started to work. He noted the fact that the ARI pointed out the most important information for him, as if it had a mind of its own and wanted to help. Though it should have made him freak out, he instead smiled.  
'_Doesn't look like I'm alone enehmo'e..._' He thought happily, not noticing that his right eye had started to bleed again.  
Soon, Jayden came to a conclusion that surprised him. "The killah is a cop! A cop... Cahtah Blake." His other eye started to bleed as he frowned intensely. It made sense - so much sense. "It has t'be him. Who else could it be? _All of the evidence points to him!_"  
Jayden found himself dropping his ARI onto the desk, not bothering to take off the glove, and getting up from his chair. He left his office and walked over to Blake's desk; there, he slammed his palms down on said desk.  
"Show me yet left wrist."  
"What? Oh, for fuck's sakes, Jayden, your eyes are bleeding!"  
"Yer left wrist. Show me it." Jayden ignored Blake's concern.  
Slowly, Blake revealed his left wrist to Jayden.  
"The killah has the same gold watch..."  
"Your _point_, Norman?"  
Jayden tilted his head, still staring at him with this shocked yet accusing look in his pale seafoam green eyes. "It's a pretty odd coincidence..."  
"Christ, Jayden, are you trying to say that you think _I'm_ the Origehmi Killer?" Blake asked this calmly; this certainly wasn't the _first_ time that Jayden had come to this crazed conclusion.  
Jayden nodded. "Yeah." He pulled out his handgun and aimed it at Blake before announcing for all to hear, "Lieutenant Cahtah Blake, yer undah arrest. Y'have the right to remain silent; enehthin' y'say can and will be used against ya."  
"You're making the worst mistake of your life, _Nor_man."  
"Hands on yer _goddahmn_ head!"  
"You know what, Norm? I should have locked you in that cell when I had the chance, because you're the one that deserves to be locked up! You're a fucking _lunatic!_"  
Jayden let out a hearty laugh, even as Perry rushed out of his office. "Oh, Cahtah..."  
Blake froze. '_My God! It's him! It's that demented alter-ego guy! What's he doing out?! I thought he only appeared after Jayden... over-... -dosed..._' Blake's eyes widened.  
Perry had an officer grab Jayden and force his arms down to handcuff him.  
"_Uhn!_" Jayden struggled against the officer before throwing his head back, hitting the officer in the nose. "Let me go! I have to arrest the Origami Killah and rescue Shaun Mars!"  
"Norman, snap out of it!" Perry barked as his single officer turned into a whole crowd. "Get some handcuffs on him and take him to my office!" He ordered his officers.  
Jayden put up a big fight to try to escape, but he ended up being pushed into Perry's office with handcuffs on his wrists.

"What the hell's the matter with you, Jayden?! Accusing lieutenant Blake of being the Origami Killer?!" Perry raged as he paced behind his desk, on which lay the handcuffs that had been on Jayden; the agent seemed to have relaxed a little, despite still seeming on edge.  
Jayden sat timidly in the chair in front of Perry's desk, staring into space, bobbing his knee, and tapping his fingers together. He slowly tilted his head in Perry's direction, but he refused to make eye contact. "... I have _proof_..." He mumbled in the most broken voice Perry felt he had ever heard.  
"Your '_proof_' is a load of bull! Start packing your bags, Norman. You're off the case. Your superiors will hear about all of this, you can be sure of that!"  
Jayden looked down at the floor. He looked ashamed, but at the same time, he seemed to believe that what he had almost done was justified.  
Perry sighed as he stared at Jayden. '_This case has driven him mad! Not to mention, he's bleeding from the eyes, probably because of those strange glasses. Maybe I should cut him a little slack..._' He scowled at he thought this.  
Jayden put his hand on the chair, as if he were about to stand.  
"Jayden, wait."  
Jayden looked at him, making eye contact for but a second.  
"Go wait in the interrogation room."  
The agent's eyes narrowed, taking that the wrong way.  
"No, you're not under arrest. Not yet, at least. I'm going to call a shrink to talk to you."  
"So yer sayin' that you think I'm crazy, is that it?"  
Perry sighed again. "Jayden... Listen to yourself and think about what you've done since you arrived here."  
Jayden stood suddenly, leaning over the desk. "Ya wanna know what I've done since I've arrived he'e?! I've ran! Ran and ran and ran, from who?! Cahtah Blake!"  
"Nor-"  
"HE FUCKIN' _RAPED_ ME, PERRY! YA _HAPPY?!_ WHILE Y'TURNED YER _GODDAHMNED_ BACK ON US, HE _TRAPPED_ ME IN MY OFFICE AND _ABUSED_ ME!"  
Perry fell silent, not sure if he could believe what came out of Jayden's mouth at this point despite it sounding somewhat sincere.  
"Ethan Mars is not the Origami Killah. I met with him myself while I was exploring the town! The Origami Killah gives the fathas of his victims trials so that only they can save their son! Don't ask me why, but that's pretty much what Ethan showed me!  
"All of the evidence I have; all of it! It all points to Blake! The killah has the same gold watch and has a gun that's police property! Blake also fits the profile just right, Perry! Cahtah Blake is the Origami Killah! I'm not crazy!"  
"Sit down. I'm sick of your delusional fairy tales, Norman."  
Jayden's eye twitched, but other than that he didn't move.  
"... Fine, if you won't sit here, go sit in the interrogation room. I'll call for someone to come assess your sanity."  
"I'm not crazy. If y'can look at Blake and still call _me_ crazy, _yer_ the one who needs a psychologist!"  
"I don't think you're crazy, Jayden. I think you're _batshit_ crazy."  
Jayden practically shoved the desk aside to threateningly approach Perry and nearly tower over him. "Captain, I sweah to God, I will k-"  
Both of them stopped thinking when they heard a car smash through the front doors of the station.  
"_NORMAN!_" cried out a voice that Jayden recognized.  
Perry watched as Jayden's facial expression transformed from rage, to shock, and then to pleasure mixed with immense relief in a matter of seconds.  
"Ethan...?" He whipped around to rush out. "_E-_"  
Perry slammed Jayden across the back of the head with the printer, knocking the agent out cold. "You're a fugitive now too, Jayden, and not just because you're a drug addict. You're not getting away like Mars did." He snarled at Jayden's unconscious body.

Blake stormed over to Ethan Mars, who had smashed into the station and just got out of his car. "Well, look what the cat brought back."  
"Where is Norman?!"  
"Why do you want him?"  
"I have to save him from madness!"  
Blake couldn't help but laugh. "If that's the only reason you're here, then you're already too late, Mars."  
Ethan seemed crushed, but disbelieving. "Wh-what...? No, he's... I'm not too late."  
"Why not stick around and wait for the ambulance to come with the strait-jacket? He's lost it, Mars."  
"I bet that's your fault, isn't it?! You just couldn't leave him alone, am I right?!"  
"I doubt that it's my fault, Mars. I think it's yours!"  
"My fault?! I'm doing my best to save him!"  
"You're _corrupting_ him!"  
Before Ethan could respond, a crowd of officers ran towards him, all swinging nightsticks and handcuffs.  
"Catch him!" ordered Perry from the door to his office.  
Ethan ran out.  
"Where's Jayden?" Blake asked.  
Perry gestured him into his office, where he revealed that Jayden was unconscious. "Blake, I think we need to discuss something."  
"What, sir?"  
"He told me that you..." Perry continued quietly.  
"He asked for it! He seemed all for it!"  
"I'll believe you. I need you to get him into the interrogation room while I call for a psychologist to visit him."  
"You're not locking him up?"  
"Handcuff him to the table."  
Blake picked Jayden up and took some handcuffs with him. He walked into the interrogation room and sat Jayden down on the chair and handcuffed him to the table as he'd been told.  
He then stopped and sighed. He left the room and came back with a handful of damp tissues, which he used to wipe the blood off of Jayden's face. "I'm sorry, Norm..." He said under his breath.  
He pulled out his handgun and placed the barrel of the gun against Jayden's temple. The lieutenant stood there, trying to figure out why he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.  
'_I have to do this._' He tried to convince himself. '_If I don't, he'll thank me by shooting me._'  
Blake tightened his grip on his gun... only to get hit in the back of the head by something so hard that he was forced to the floor.  
Ethan stepped into the room and took Blake's gun, using it to shoot off Jayden's handcuffs. "Stay down, lieutenant Blake, unless you want to be put out of your misery." He warned as he lift Jayden.  
"Both of you are fucking lunatics!"  
"I guess maybe that's why we seem to click together." Ethan quickly ran out with Jayden in his arms. Once outside, he shook Jayden awake. "Norman! Norman, wake up!"  
"Huh...?" Jayden moaned weakly.  
"We're going to go save Shaun, alright? Together!"  
A smile appeared on Jayden's face and he slowly nodded. "I-... I-I'd like that..."  
"Just hang in there, Norman!" Ethan looked around frantically before putting Jayden in the passenger seat and rushing around to get into the driver's seat. '_He's not looking so good... Should I take him to a hospital instead? Goddammit, I don't have time!_' Ethan forced his thoughts of abandoning Shaun away and started to drive as fast as the car would go.

* * *

Scott Sheppard ran with his brother John through the 'empty' construction site.  
"Come on! You ain't nothin' but a slowpoke!" John laughed as he ran far ahead. Scott tried his best to follow, but he wasn't nearly as quick as his brother.  
"John, wait up!" He cried out.  
"Move your ASS! I'm WAITING!"  
When John slowed to a stop, Scott hurried over. John turned around with a giggle and a smile, high-and-low-tenning Scott.  
"Let's play hide-and-seek! You close your eyes and count to twenty, and I'll hide." John forced Scott to turn around so he was facing one of the construction vehicles before running off.  
Scott counted _one, two, three, seven, four, twenty_, and then he pulled away from the vehicle and looked for John. He was alarmed when he heard John weakly moaning for help. He followed the source of the pleas and soon found John trapped in a hole in the unfinished concrete sidewalk with water being forced into his face.  
"_Help..._" He cried.  
Scott ran over and grabbed his hand. "John! Hang on, I'll help you!" He started tugging to free his brother's foot from whatever it had been caught on, but it was no use. "John, please! _Please_ don't die, John!"  
"G-get help! Hurry!"  
Scott ran to their father, who punted him right back to John. "He wouldn't even let me try, John! I'm so sorry!"  
John sputtered weakly as he stared up at Scott with a glazed look. Breathlessly, he said his last words. "Don't forget about me, Scottie..."  
Scott held John's hand as the boy died and he cried. He felt empty inside; the only person he loved and trusted was dead because of his own father's selfishness.

* * *

Scott Shelby shed some tears as he looked at a picture of himself and John, taken shortly before John's death.  
He then looked at a picture of Norman Jayden that he kept and he sighed. '_This time, John... This time, I've made sure that you'll be able to see me for yourself. Those two fools that are lovestruck by Jayden better say goodbye right now, or else they'll never have the chance._'

* * *

Madison Paige slowly opened Scott Shelby's door. She stepped inside quietly and looked around. Only after a second did Scott hit her over the head.  
"Fuck!" She fell over and backed up. "Scott, please! According to Ethan, something's up with that Jayden guy!" She begged to be let go, not bringing Shaun into the conversation mainly because she knew that Scott didn't care.  
"I know. I've already ensured that he'll be fixed, though."  
"What?"  
"He's going to get better."  
Madison sighed in relief. "That's great, Scott! I was really worried about him there!"  
"DUMB BITCH, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ASK ME WHAT I MEAN BY THAT." Scott roared.  
"Why bother?"  
"FUUUUUUCK." Scott kicked her in the nose. "I'M A PRIVATE INVESTIMAGATORRATOR, AND I AM GOING TO KILL ETHAN'S PRECIOUS NORMAN JAYDEN. TA-TA!" Scott then dived out of one of his windows.  
Madison sat there with a long frown on her face. But it wasn't her frown.  
"Ew, gross. How could Scott forget his mouth?"


	9. A Happy Ending?

Ethan Mars and Norman Jayden sat in the car together, driving to the old warehouse on the docks to save Ethan's son, Shaun.  
When Ethan stopped the car, he looked at Jayden. Jayden looked paranoid and ill.  
"Norman... are you okay?" Ethan asked.  
Jayden looked over at him quickly. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"  
Before Ethan could respond, Jayden opened the car door. "Shaun's he'e? Let's go save him; he doesn't have a lot of time!"  
Ethan nodded obediently and got out of the car. The two of them then ran into the warehouse.  
Ethan ran to Shaun. "Shaun! Shaun, can you hear me?! Daddy's here, son!"  
Jayden slowed to a halt behind Ethan, which the father only half noticed. He shook his head as if to clear it.  
"Norman, help me open this grate!" Ethan pleaded without looking over.  
He then froze when he felt a gun against his head. "N-... Norman...?"  
Jayden laughed in a low voice. "Why did ya save '_me_', Ethan?"  
"What do you mean? I couldn't just leave you with that abusive lieutenant."  
Jayden loosened his grip on the gun, but only a little.  
"Don't shoot." said Scott Shelby from behind them, startling Ethan. "He's the one, John. The one father willing to do anything for those he loves."  
'_John...? Who's he talking to, exactly?_' Ethan pondered as he turned to look.  
Jayden backed away toward Scott. "Y'sure 'bout that, Scottie? He decided t'save Nahman first..."  
Ethan was now even more confused. "Norman... Are you alright?"  
Scott laughed, making Jayden smile warmly at the so-called private investimagatorrator.  
Ethan stood. "What have you done to Norman?"  
"I helped him submit to the truth. He is no longer Norman Jayden. He is John Sheppard... My brother." Scott wrapped his arm around Jayden's shoulder and the two clung together.  
"You're lying!" Ethan shouted, afraid of losing not only Jayden, but Shaun as well. "Norman, come on! Snap out of it! You still remember me, right?!"  
"I know of ya faintly, and I know that Nahman loves ya, but I know nothin' of y'personally."  
"He... He loves me? Truly?"  
"He did."  
"That can't be true... No one could love a failure like me..."  
"And if you don't save your son, no one ever will." Scott replied coldly.  
"Give me Norman back!"  
"Just give up, Ethan. Jayden is John's now, and John is mine."  
Ethan growled. He didn't have time to argue with either one of them, so he grabbed the pole nearby and started trying to force the lock on Shaun's grate off with it.  
"Where the hell did Madison go?! Fuck!"  
"... Madison?" Jayden frowned, wearing a worried expression.  
Scott whistled. "See, Ethan and Madison are really close. He loves her and she loves him, but he refuses to admit that it's mutual."  
"What?!" Ethan yelled as he kept working to rescue Shaun. "That's not true!"  
"See, he's lying even now!" Scott sighed. "I wonder if he ever lies to Shaun like he lies to you, _Jayden_..."  
Jayden looked at the floor.  
Scott barely held back a chuckle. "Get ready to run, Ethan, if you know what's good for you and Shaun."  
"I-" Ethan was cut off when the lock on the grate was shot off.  
Jayden looked completely enraged as he held his gun out. "I'll let ya pull Shaun out and make su'e he's okay, Ethan, but then ya'd bettah start runnin'."  
Ethan rolled his eyes with a frustrated sigh before he pulled Shaun out of the well and started to perform CPR.  
Shaun started to gasp for air. "D-dad...?"  
Ethan felt so relieved that he forgot about Jayden's threat - he was reminded of it by a somewhat-gentle hit over the head.  
"Shaun, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you more than anything in the world." Ethan gently kissed his son's forehead before he got up. "Can I at least have a ten-second headstart?" He asked Jayden.  
"..." Jayden nodded.  
Ethan started running like mad up the stairs, not wasting any time in getting up the ladder onto the "second floor". As he started running to get to the roof access stairs, Jayden was already half way up the ladder.  
Scott stood in front of Shaun. He shrugged. The boy did not respond.

Madison Paige got to the warehouse in time to see that lieutenant Carter Blake had arrived again with a fleet of men ready to shoot.  
"Dammit, you just can't let Ethan live, can you?! He's _not_ the Origami Killer!" She screamed at him.  
"That's not the only reason why I'm here!" He roared back.  
"Then what are the others?!"  
"I'm going to kill Ethan, kill Scott, and arrest Norman!"  
"What?!"  
"Deal with it!"  
"No, not you! Look over there!"  
Blake looked where Madison was pointing; up and to the right. He saw what looked like Jayden chasing after and shooting at Ethan.  
"What the hell is Jayden doing?!" Madison shouted.  
Ethan kept running, Jayden keeping a good pace behind him.  
"Ethan!" He heard to his right. He looked down and saw Madison, as well as Blake and a ton of cops.  
"Madison...!" He stopped and put his hands up as surrender.  
Jayden stopped as well. He was still aiming at Ethan, but he looked almost scared. "Is that ha'?"  
"Yes."  
Jayden was quiet for a moment. "She looks pretty."  
"I guess."  
"... Do ya love ha'?"  
"No. She's actually kind of annoying."  
"... ... I'm sorry, Ethan." Jayden let his arms go slack and fall to his sides.  
"What? He's not going to kill Mars?" Blake growled as he watched.  
Ethan smiled a little as he timidly approached Jayden. "No, Norman. _I'm_ sorry."  
The two of them hugged and Ethan kissed Jayden for everyone below to see.  
Madison's nose started to bleed. "Oh... This is... _mmm._ Am I the only one a little hot under the collar?"  
Blake snarled and held his radio tigher. "_OPEN_ FIRE!"  
Madison looked at him in shock. "_NO!_"  
Blake smiled as his men took aim.  
Jayden noticed that the guns were now pointed at Ethan and himself. "... Ethan?"  
"Yes, Norman?" Ethan mumbled, too busy snuggling Jayden to notice their predicament.  
"Don't tense yer body."  
"Huh...?" Ethan suddenly found himself falling, and he screamed. '_He pushed me over?! Why?!_'  
He stared up at Jayden, time seeming to slow down. He heard a gunshot and saw a burst of red from Jayden's left shoulder.  
"CEASE FIRE! CEASE FIRE, FOR GOD'S SAKES, _CEASE FIRE!_" Blake screamed frantically.  
The police officers stopped shooting, but by then Jayden had already been shot several times.  
The agent wobbled on the conveyor belt that brought him closer to death every second. He coughed up some blood.  
'_I'm dyin'... I can't see straight and I hurt... I'm... Ethan. Ethan, whe'e's Ethan, is he okay?_' Jayden struggled to look down without falling forward. He was relieved to see that Ethan had been caught by Scott. '_I knew I could count on him... even if he is the Origami Killah..._'  
Scott gestured for Jayden to let himself fall.  
Ethan watched numbly as Jayden shook his head. He couldn't take his teary eyes off of Jayden. '_Why... Why did he do that?! He could have let me get shot with him or jumped and saved himself, but instead he risked his life for me?! Why?!_'  
"WHY?!" Jayden heard Ethan scream.  
Jayden tried to reply, but he felt too weak. Against his will, his legs buckled and he fell forward.  
Scott hurried over and caught Jayden, laying him gently on the ground. Ethan rushed to the agent's side.  
"Jayden fell!" Madison informed Blake before she ran to check on her two favorite men.  
Blake stood there, feeling incredible guilt. "Fuck... Fuck, if I hadn't given that order... Fuck! If he fucking dies because of this... _FUCK!_" He kept cursing at himself. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" He screamed at Ash, who stood near him. "CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE!"

Madison got to Jayden and the others in time to see Ethan start bawling.  
"I'm sorry!" He cried. "I'm so fucking _sorry_, Norman! This is my fault, _all my fault!_"  
Madison looked at Scott. Scott had his back turned and he was shaking his head solemnly.  
'_He's wrong... It's my fault. Trying to get John back, I've killed him...!_' Scott thought.  
Madison then turned her attention to Jayden, who was staring at her.  
"I... I-I feel like I... like I've seen ya befo'e..." He said weakly.  
Madison was forced to shrug in response. She started to tear up as well, despite her efforts to show no emotion.  
"E-Ethan..."  
Ethan looked at Jayden.  
"Be with ha'..." He gestured at Madison, whose face reddened.  
"What...?"  
"Be with Madison... I won't make it and I've had time t'think, so I don't mind anymo'e..."  
Ethan shook his head frantically. "No, Norman. You're going to make it through this. You're going to make it through this, and we're going to make Blake pay! _Together!_"  
Jayden tried to laugh at the idea. "That'd be nice..."  
Blake suddenly walked over to them; everyone except for Jayden gave him a cold glare, Ethan especially.  
"An ambulance is on its way. Does anyone know first aid? It might take a minute for the ambulance to arrive." He asked calmly, sounding sincerely sympathetic.  
"I..." Scott cleared his throat. "I might know a little bit."  
"Then get working."  
Scott told the others to back up, which they did, as he started trying to help Jayden.  
Ethan stormed over to Blake and grabbed his shirt, tugging him close threateningly. "If Norman doesn't recover from this, I'm going to make sure you wish you were never born!"  
"I'm going to go make sure Shaun is alright..." Madison mumbled.  
"Thanks, Madison." Ethan said before he turned his attention back to Blake, who surprisingly had no desire to counter and start a fight.  
Scott kept working on Jayden until he felt the agent grip his arm shakily. "Jayden?"  
Jayden gasped for air, nearly hyperventilating. His eyes seemed about to roll up into his head. "D-..."  
"Jayden..?!"  
"D-... Don't... don't fehget about me... S-Scottie..."  
"J-John...?"  
Jayden's grip loosened and he let out a deep breath.  
"OH FUCK! JAYDEN! GODDAMMIT, _STAY WITH US!_"  
Ethan and the others looked over right as the ambulance arrived.

* * *

Ethan Mars stood quietly in front of a grave. He stared at it, lost in thought.  
He sighed after a moment, and shortly after his cellphone started to ring. He answered it.  
"Hello? ... What? I'm on my way." He closed his cellphone and looked at the grave again.  
He left the cemetery and Scott Shelby's grave to jump into his car. For a moment, he hesitated.  
'_I wonder if Scott's really dead or not... Something tells me that he's not..._' He shrugged it off and started to drive to the hospital.

* * *

When Ethan got into the hospital, he saw Norman Jayden sitting in the waiting room. A doctor walked over to him.  
"Is he okay?" Ethan asked.  
He was informed a little too casually that Norman not only had lost his memory and may have trouble forming new memories, but that he also was beginning to form a serious issue in his brain due to exposure to something that they couldn't recognize.  
"In short," concluded the doctor. "He may need supervision to see if he's capable still of living a normal life."  
"So... You want me to take him _home_ with me?" How was he ever going to explain this to Shaun?  
When he was finished talking to the doctor, Ethan went over to Jayden.  
Jayden looked at him with this awkward look.  
"Hi, Norman. Do you remember me?"  
"..." Jayden shook his head.  
Ethan sighed quietly and held Jayden's hands. "You saved my life, Norman. My debt to you will _never_ be paid."  
Jayden seemed confused, but he didn't pull away.  
"The doctors want me to take you home with me for now. Are you okay with that?"  
Jayden shrugged.  
"Come on, Norman." Ethan gently tugged him along to his car.  
He drove Jayden to his apartment, still the old one that he shared with Shaun, and let Jayden in. '_This could get awkward._'  
Jayden looked around, but kept quiet.  
Shaun hurried out of one of the rooms with a smile that faded when he saw Jayden. Their eyes locked.  
Ethan looked between the two of them, and suddenly when he tried to look back at Jayden, he saw the wall. He looked down and saw that Jayden had fainted.  
"Why is _that_ guy here?" Shaun asked nervously.  
"The doctors at the hospital want me to take care of him for a while. You don't mind, do you Shaun?" Ethan asked as he kneeled next to Jayden and tried to wake him up.  
"As long as he doesn't point a gun at us again..."  
Ethan sighed.  
"Is he okay?"  
"I think so. I think he just blacked out." Ethan picked Jayden up and took him into his own bedroom, laying him on the bed. Almost as soon as he did, Jayden jolted awake.  
"Shaun!" He shouted.  
Ethan looked back at him. "You recognized my son?"  
Jayden held his head. "Yer his fatha'...? Y'must be..."  
"Don't strain yourself to remember anything yet, Norman. Just rest here and make yourself at home."  
"..." Jayden released his head. "Thank you, Mr. Mars."

* * *

It took Jayden only five months to remember most of what happened and sort it in order of before and after. Though there were still some blank spots, he had at least been able to remember Ethan's name.  
He still wasn't certain, however, why he saw some things (like steam) differently than Ethan or why he sometimes felt intense cravings for something, cravings so strong that they made him feel like he would die without whatever it was he desired. He never told Ethan about the cravings since they sort of scared him. That, and when Jayden told him about the highlight of certain things invisible to the human eye, Ethan looked depressed.  
One night he was sitting around thinking when suddenly he doubled over and found himself in a forest. "What...?" He looked around, confused. The forest looked familiar, but he couldn't determine why. "How did I get he'e...?"  
It started to storm and Jayden begin to feel incredibly depressed, lonesome, and scared. He held himself and trembled, sitting on the ground on his knees. "What's wrong with me...?"  
"Norman?" He heard Ethan call for him as he entered the apartment. Jayden found himself back in the living room, kneeling now behind the couch. He looked up as Ethan walked into the doorway.  
Ethan almost instantly dropped the bags he carried and he hurried over. "My God, Norman, what happened?!"  
"Wh-what? What's wrong?"  
"Your eye! It's bleeding!"  
Jayden thought about what had happened, and decided to keep quiet about it. Instead of telling Ethan about the vivid hallucination, he shrugged. "I... I don't remembah..." He lied.

That night, Ethan lay in bed. Next to him was Jayden. It still felt somewhat awkward to be sleeping in the same bed as him, but the only one who could tolerate falling asleep on the couch was Shaun.  
Ethan could tell that Jayden was keeping something from him, something big that was causing him suffering. It made Ethan feel nervous.  
'_I wish he'd just tell me what's troubling him..._'  
It was then that Ethan realized that the entire situation felt... wrong.  
'_For some reason, I don't feel like Jayden should be here right now... Did I mess up again? Isn't this the right ending? If it is, then why doesn't it feel _right_...?_'

* * *

A few days later, Jayden decided to go alone for a walk through the city. Ethan seemed preoccupied, though he didn't refuse Jayden's idea. Jayden started to walk, looking around a little. He walked for quite a while, making it to the Carnaby District. He stopped there for a moment. Something about the word Carnaby set some hidden gears in his head into motion. He ignored it and kept walking until he came across the police station.  
Right as he was walking by, Carter Blake stepped outside. He seemed surprised to see Jayden, but Jayden didn't entirely remember him - all he remembered was that he should be afraid of this man.  
"Jayden?" Blake stepped closer, making Jayden back away.  
"I have to go." Jayden said and tried to walk away.  
"Wait, Jayden!" Blake grabbed Jayden's arm and pulled him back.  
"Let me go!"  
"Jayden, Christ! I haven't seen you in forever, and the first thing you do is resist me? I have something for you."  
Jayden stopped struggling, but just a little. "What is it...?"  
Blake discreetly slipped a tube of blue powder and a pair of glasses into Jayden's hands. "You forgot these at the station a few months ago... I thought you'd want them back."  
Jayden looked at the glasses, examining them thoroughly. He felt a small attachment to them, but when he took another look at the tube of powder, he felt more of an attachment to that. "What are they?"  
"What? Don't play dumb, _Nor_man. That's your fancy glasses and your Triptowhatever."  
"Triptocaine?" Jayden remembered the word and blurted it only to get Blake's hands over his mouth.  
"You're right in front of a police station. Don't blurt the name of your damned drug, you lunatic." Blake whispered harshly.  
Jayden started to feel those bizarre cravings again and felt his nose begin bleeding. He tried to get away. "Uh... I really have t'go. Thanks for giving me these back..."  
"Wait, Norman. You're not just going to leave, are you?"  
"What if I am?"  
"At least let me take you out for a drink or something. We haven't seen each other in so long."  
"I have to go." Jayden tried to sound firm.  
"Come on, Jayden." Blake wouldn't let up, and he was beginning to annoy Jayden.  
"Look," Jayden turned. "I thanked ya fer givin' me my things. I can't stay, though. I have to get back home so I c-" Jayden was cut off when Blake suddenly pulled him close and kissed him.  
Something in his head clicked.  
He was then shoved aside out of the blue and saw... himself? Another him was standing where he had been standing, and he kneed Blake in the stomach.  
"Wh-what the hell?!" Jayden was too shocked to stop his 'doppelganger' from kicking the shit out of Blake. Jayden soon fainted from stress.  
When he came to, he looked around briefly. He was in Ethan's bathroom, and he was kneeling in front of the bathtub. He was practically soaked. He glanced down and his heart stopped for a second. He was then stumbling backwards like a wounded dog, just barely holding back a scream.  
Ethan was sitting on the couch watching TV when he heard something fall down the stairs. He looked over quickly and saw Jayden, soaked and looking like a nervous wreck. "Shit, Norman, are you okay?" He hurried over.  
Jayden looked up at him, a look of crazed guilt in his eyes. "Ethan..." He started to cry loudly as he turned his head to the floor.  
"Norman, what happened?"  
"I-I dunno! I... It wasn't me! I don't remembah... I didn't want to!"  
"What are you talking about?"  
Jayden pointed up the stairs. "I'm so sorry! I... I woke up and... I woke up and he was the'e like that! I sweah to God I don't remembah anythin'!"  
"He...? What...?" Ethan slowly walked upstairs and looked into Shaun's room.  
Shaun wasn't there.  
Ethan's heart started to race as he looked in the bathroom. He looked into the bathtub and started to panic - Shaun was face-down in the water and wasn't moving. One of the green papers from Ethan's office had been turned into an origami cow and had been placed on Shaun's back.  
"No... No, SHAUN! SHAAAUNN!" Ethan cried out as he pulled Shaun out of the tub and tried to get him breathing again to no prevail. "_SHAAAAAAAAUNNNNN! ! !_"  
Jayden realized that he had a gun on him for some reason. He pulled it out and didn't even bother to try figuring out where he got it from; he immediately put his finger on the trigger and shoved the barrel into his mouth. He braced himself.  
"Norman, _NOOOO!_" He heard from up the stairs. He closed his eyes tighter and pulled the trigger.  
Click.  
The gun wasn't loaded.  
Jayden took the gun out of his mouth and started sobbing again.  
Ethan breathed a small sigh of bittersweet relief as he headed downstairs. "Stay right there, Norman. I'm... I'm going to call my psychologist for you." He said coldly.  
Jayden sat against the wall next to the dresser and stairs and curled up there, bawling and wondering why he'd done what he did.


	10. Norman Jayden's Past

Ethan Mars sat at a bar. He had called an ambulance first and they concluded that Shaun would somehow survive, and Norman Jayden was currently at an appointment with Ethan's therapist.  
"I think we need to try again." said Ethan to journalist Madison Paige and lieutenant Carter Blake, both of who sat next to him.  
"Tell me about it." Blake rolled his eyes. "Jayden isn't with me and because of that someone-"  
"_Shhh!_" Madison hissed, cutting him off. "Shut up! Do you want this story to get removed for breaking the fourth wall and somehow seeming 'interactive'?!" She scoffed and took a sip of her drink before adding, "By the way, I think this attempt didn't go so well only because Jayden didn't end up with _me_."  
"Fucking _asswaffle!_" Blake shouted, changing his line a little.  
"Christ, you two! That's not what I mean!" Ethan yelled. "Norman... He tried to drown Shaun."  
Both of them stopped arguing and looked at Ethan, who was looking down in shame.  
"He tried to drown him... and he put a green origami cow on him... and then he ran downstairs and told me that he didn't remember doing it and that he was so sorry. He _cried_..."  
"Where's Jayden now?" Blake asked casually.  
"He's at an appointment with my psychologist."  
"Pfft! Mars, your psychologist's a fucking asshole! He won't be able to help Jayden one bit!"  
"Is that so?" Ethan grumbled sarcastically.  
"Jayden's too far gone, Mars."  
"Well then, we need to try again."  
Madison put her drink down. "Isn't this getting out of hand? I'm sure we can make this work!"  
"Madison, Norman nearly killed my son!" Ethan argued.  
"What if we don't get a third chance? What if we kill ourselves or whatever, and we stay dead for good? What would happen to Jayden? More important yet, what would happen to Shaun?"  
"When did this bitch suddenly become logical?" Blake asked no one in particular.  
Ethan rubbed his own head. "I suppose..." He responded to Madison, sort of.  
"We have to stay alive."  
"Fine."  
"And we have to have babies."  
Ethan threw his own drink away. "Fuck's sakes..."

* * *

Norman Jayden sat on the chair in front of to Ethan Mars' psychologist.  
"Norman, I just want to perform a simple test on you to see how well you remember things. Is that okay?"  
Jayden timidly nodded. "Yes..."  
The psychologist revealed Jayden's ARI. "What do you think when you see these glasses?"  
Jayden narrowed his eyes. "I think y'pickpocketed me."  
"What do you think when you see these glasses?" He asked again.  
Jayden sighed. "I... I think that I cherish those glasses. Please be ca'eful with them."  
"Why do you cherish these glasses, Norman? They are, after all, just a pair of sunglasses."  
"They a'en't just sunglasses, doctah."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
Jayden shivered. "I remembah thin's about those glasses... yes, they're called _ARI_. I remembah thin's about the ARI glasses that unnerve me..."  
"Like what, for example?"  
"It's a lon' story, and I can't remembah all of it."  
"What do you remember?"  
"... I remembah a... a forest. A forest full of birch trees, or somethin'... All of the leaves are orange, and the ground is covahed with dead leaves. I'm boxed in a wooden fence standing on a plank of wood whenevah I'm the'e."  
"Interesting... Do you remember anything else?"  
"A-.. I remembah a man."  
"A man?"  
"This old man, pa'haps in his early 50s. He looks like a butlah of some sort. I... I feel like I know him somehow, like I've seen him outside of the ARI... but I dunno how."  
The psychologist gently put the glasses down and straightened himself in his chair with a deep breath. "Norman, I'd like to try hypnotism on you. That way you can tell me about the memories your brain is repressing."  
Jayden shrugged. "I... I guess it's worth a shot."

* * *

When the hypnotism finally kicked into effect, Jayden was 32 again. He was currently assigned to a case involving a string of murders occurring in a small town located in West Virginia. He sighed, feeling tense; he and his current partner, a female lieutenant, had picked up who Norman assumed to be the culprit, and were about to interrogate her.  
The only part of this case that made Jayden overwhelmingly nervous was the fact that his father had taken up a job in this town, and he hadn't heard from him in a while; there had always been a bit of a distance between them, but Jayden had a bad feeling about something.  
"So, Jayden," His partner asked casually. "You're sure it's her?"  
"Who else could it be?" He responded coolly. "She's got the right personality, fits the profile nicely, and the geo-localization is a pahfect fit too."  
"Right..." She sounded skeptical, which made Jayden furrow his brow in her direction.  
"What, y'don't believe me?" He stood to show some form of male dominance in his height.  
"It's not that, _Normie._" She rubbed her index finger against the underside of his chin, purring her pet name for him and making him feel uncomfortable. "Let's talk to her, hmm?"  
"Yes... Let's."  
The two of them walked into the interrogation room together. The girl in the chair in front of them looked mad from exhaustion and boredom.  
"Ms. Stewaht? I'm Nahman Jayden, FB-"  
"Don't fucking play Mr. Nice Cop with me, you worthless piece of trash." She snarled.  
Jayden whistled. "Maybe you'd bettah handle this..." He said to his female partner, who only smirked.  
"Why, Jayden? You seem to be doing _just fine._" She snickered.  
Jayden sighed again and put his hands gently on the desk in front of the culprit. "Ms. Stewaht, I'm awa'e that y'admitted t'havin' been a-"  
"Did you love your family, Mr. Jayden?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"I know more about you than you think. I know that your mother died when you were a teenager, and you grew distant with your father."  
"How do ya know that?" Jayden backed up a bit.  
"I'm sure she has _connections_, Normie." His partner yawned.  
He looked at her, coming to a conclusion he hadn't thought of before.  
"To be honest, I was jealous of your relationship with your father, Mr. Jayden." The culprit said, attracting his attention again.  
"What...?"  
"My father never loved me. I was never very close to him at all. He abused me. I think your father should have listened a little closer during that last phone call he got from his beloved son, though."  
"What the hell a'e y'talkin' about? I... I haven't called him in a long time."  
She shook her head solemnly. "Too bad. You wouldn't believe how easy it is, though," she put a hand over her mouth and stared at him. "_... t'fake yer voice, mistah Jayden._"  
Jayden started to panic a little. She did sound a little bit like him when she did that. "Wh-what did y'do to my dad...?"  
"I asked him if I, or rather, _you_ could visit him. I went to his house to meet up there... and he wasn't pleased to see me. He called me a lunatic. I made him mine."  
"Yer lyin'... Yer a _LYIN'_...!" Jayden couldn't finish his insult, instead more focused on getting out of that small, dull room; he suddenly felt somewhat claustrophobic, and also feeling as if the culprit had awoken something deep within him that had been long since subdued.  
'_Dad... I need to check on my dad. He'd bettah be okay... or I sweah t'God, I'll... I'll...!_'  
Jayden felt woozy all of the sudden and he stumbled, nearly causing a small scene. He shook his head as clear as it could be and ran out, jumping into his car and starting to drive towards the house he recalled his father staying in.  
When he got there, he found that the door was unlocked and he started to tremble. Slowly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.  
"D-dad...? Dad, it's me..." He walked shakily into the house, noticing that everything seemed to be in order.  
That is, until he reached the upstairs bathroom.  
Upon opening the door and stepping inside hastefully, he slipped on something and smacked his head against the door pretty hard.  
"Aaaaggh...! _Fuuuck!_" He held his head and curled onto his side. He opened his eyes and noticed now that his whole suit had been covered by something red. He sat up quickly.  
'_This... Th-th-this is blood...! I'm covahed in blood! !_' He started to freak out a little more when he noticed that the whole room was bloody, especially the bathtub, which was filled with trash bags covered in the red liquid.  
Jayden's heart started to race as he slowly crawled over and opened one of the bags. He immediately regretted it as he basically flung himself away, beginning to scream hysterically.  
"_DAAAAD! NOOOOOO!_" He wailed. He kept screaming and crying against the furthest wall from the bathtub until he found that his hand had at some point pulled out the tube of Triptocaine from his pocket. "Huh...?"  
He was only supposed to take very small doses of the drug after using his ARI... but it did seem to make him feel good, from what he could tell.  
'_It... It might make me feel less depressed. I might kill myself right he'e and now if I don't..._' Jayden's lower lip trembled from fear and sadness. '_It's _my_ fault! But why? Why did she go aftah my fatha'? Why _me_?!_'  
Slowly, his body moved the Triptocaine closer to his nostril.  
'_No, I... I shouldn't. I shouldn't take Tripto right now._'  
'_But they nevah said enehthin' about bein' able to develop any sorta... addiction or enehthin'... It'll cheer me up._'  
Jayden shook his head. '_Goddahmmit, my fatha's dead he'e, and all I'm thinkin' about is doin' fuckin' drugs?! What the hell is wrong with me?!_'  
Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of the blue powder. It seemed to be beckoning to him.  
'_Oh, fuck it! Just take it and get it ovah with, I have t'tell someone about this!_' Jayden didn't even realize that he hadn't been the one controlling his hand that whole time, even when his hand moved the tube again and his body snorted a ton of Triptocaine.  
He felt like that thing that had awoken inside of him had been put immensely at ease, and that made him feel somewhat put at ease himself, despite still feeling horribly traumatized by his father's untimely murder.

* * *

The psychologist shook Norman Jayden frantically; Jayden had been telling him what his distant memories held when he'd started screaming bloody murder and looking as if he were fighting to escape from something, and now his nose had started to bleed on top of that. The screen displaying a reading of emotions that Norman was feeling for the psychologist showed that Jayden was completely horrified by something.  
"Norman! Norman, when I count to three, you will snap out of it! One! Two! _Three!_"  
Jayden jolted up, still seeming panicked as his memories readjusted themselves and things began registering in his mind. "The man in the ARI... My _dad_..." The off-duty FBI agent started to tremble, so he held himself.  
The alarm on the psychologist's desk went off, yet he said nothing for a long while, too stunned to speak. When he finally did say something, it was, "... Norman, do you remember what you told me now?"  
Jayden didn't respond. The screen read "APATHY" as Jayden's emotion.  
"Norman?"  
"I'd bettah be goin', doc... Thanks fer helpin' me to remember this." Jayden droned as he took off the headpiece and set it on the chair before getting up and walking out before the psychologist could think of anything else to say, leaving him to ponder over what he'd just seen.

* * *

Ethan Mars sat in his car outside of his psychologist's building, waiting for Norman Jayden.  
Soon enough, Jayden stepped outside and walked over to the car, getting into the passenger seat.  
"Christ, Norman, what happened to your nose?" Ethan asked, noticing that Jayden's nose had been bleeding.  
"I'd ratha' not talk about it, Ethan."  
"Okay..."  
The two sat in silence for a bit.  
"... I'm a horrible person, Ethan. I dunno how you could find it in y'to be nice t'me."  
"What are you talking about, Norman? Sure, you... You tried to kill my son, but... Well, I mean, you didn't do it intentionally, so..."  
Jayden shot Ethan a glare. "Yer actin' like me nearly drownin' yer son isn't a bit deal."  
Ethan sighed quickly. "It _is_ a big deal. It's just, you told me that you didn't remember? What, Norman, were you lying? Did you do it intentionally?"  
"I..." Jayden spoke shamefully. "No, I... I truly don't remembah..."  
"Then I can't really blame you, can I?"  
"Y'have every right to blame me. I'm the one who woke up soaked in blood!"  
Ethan looked at Jayden, confused. "What?"  
Jayden clutched his head as he slammed it against the dashboard, causing Ethan to pull him back so he was sitting straight.  
"What the hell are you doing, Norman? You're going to hurt yourself."  
"Can't y'tell that's the point, Ethan?!" Jayden replied in a broken voice, forcing a smile. "I'm fuckin' sick of this! I don't deserve t'keep on livin'!"  
"Don't say that, Norman! That's not true!"  
Jayden shook his head, looking down at his knees. "It is... Y'should just let me go, Ethan."  
"Why in the hell would I do that?" Ethan asked harshly, becoming annoyed by Jayden's pessimism.  
"Can't y'judge my sanity for yerself? At this rate, it's only a mattah of time befo'e I hurt _you_, and I don't wanna do that...!"  
"Norman, you're not going to hurt me."  
"Y'can't be so su'e..."  
Ethan gave up and sighed, starting the ignition, putting the car into drive, and driving back to his apartment.


	11. Slipping (Metaphorically and Literally)

Ethan Mars sat in his 'office', tears streaking his face. In one hand he held the phone. He had just received a phone call informing him that Shaun had passed away in the hospital.  
He felt so lost. He stood up and quietly went into the bedroom.  
Norman Jayden lay in the bed on the leftmost side, asleep. He looked so innocent when he slept.  
Ethan had already thought about telling Jayden, but in the end, he had decided against it.  
Quietly, he dug through one of the drawers until he found the gun that Scott Shelby had given him months earlier for the trials.  
He aimed it at Jayden's head, his arms unsteady.  
"Sorry, everyone... but I need to try to get a better ending." Ethan whispered before he forced his eyes shut and pulled the trigger.  
The sound of Jayden's blood painting the bed and bedside table alone nearly made Ethan gag, so he turned his whole body away from the sight before he opened his eyes, beginning to sob even more.  
"Fuck... _Fuck_...!"  
He took more pleasure in turning the gun on himself, and he pulled the trigger.  
Jayden watched in awe as Ethan offed himself, his left ear bleeding; he had jolted awake after Ethan fired the first shot and missed, instead shooting a conveniently placed jelly-filled doughnut. (Don't ask.)  
He sat there in shock, clutching the covers, until he eventually stumbled out of the bed and walked over to get a better look.  
Ethan was definitely dead.  
"Wh-... Why...? Y'tried to kill me... and then y'killed yerself... _Why_...?" Jayden's apathy began to fade as he trembled, trying not to cry. "Y'hated me that much fer what I did...? T'take yer own life after mine...?!"  
The last string connecting Jayden to sanity snapped, and his muffled sobs turned into full-blown laughter.  
He thought very quickly about all the things he could do to correct the broken world he lived it, such as murdering Perry and Blake, both of whom fell under the category in Jayden's head of people he figured were expendable, but then he checked Ethan's gun and saw only one bullet in the chamber.  
'_... I could follow him. Follow him to whatevah aftahlife he's gone to, and I could make him regret his decision..._' The idea made Jayden smirk from ear to ear. Without a single rational thought arguing against this idea, Jayden placed the barrel of the gun against his temple.

Ethan Mars came to and found himself in his car, driving Norman Jayden to the old warehouse by the docks.  
Slowly, he looked over at Jayden. "Norman...?"  
Jayden said nothing.  
"Norman, what do you remember?"  
Jayden smiled what Ethan thought at first was a happy smile. "I remembah a lot, Ethan..."  
He turned his gaze back to the warehouse, which they were in front of.  
"... such as Y'TRYIN' T'KILL ME, AND THEN KILLIN' YERSELF!" Jayden roared suddenly, lunging at Ethan, who freaked out.  
The car slammed into the wall of the warehouse, and Jayden, who hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, hit his side hard against the dashboard.  
He grunted in pain and clutched his ribs.  
"Fuck, Norman! Are you alright?!"  
"I'll be just fine aftah I do what needs t'be done!" Jayden practically tore the passenger seat door open, pulled out his gun, and hurried into the warehouse. Ethan followed him quickly to find him aiming his gun at Shaun through the grate.  
"NORMAN, NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ethan sprinted over and tackled Jayden down, making the agent cry out in agony due to his injured ribs getting crushed.  
Scott Shelby walked out of the shadows, staring at the two of them, confused. "What's going on here?"  
"Norman's gone mad!" Ethan shouted.  
"I've gone mad?! Hah, take a look at yerself, Ethan!"  
Jayden smacked Ethan over the head with the butt of his gun before standing. "I'm gonna kill Shaun, Ethan, and y'can't do nothin' to stop me."  
"Wait, what?" Scott intervened. "You can't kill Shaun, Jayden."  
"Watch me!" Fueled by his anger, Jayden aimed his gun at Shaun again.  
Madison Paige stopped her motorcycle outside of the warehouse and ran inside. She saw Jayden about to shoot into the grate Shaun was in, and she gasped.  
"Jayden, no!"  
Jayden looked at her, and she saw the madness in his eyes.  
"Of cou'se... I could always kill the next best thin'!" Jayden then aimed the gun at her.  
"Oooohhh boy." Madison shrieked and started running, Jayden chasing after her.  
Scott watched with a frown. "Well shit. What was that about?"  
Ethan shook his head. "I... I must have missed him when I tried to kill both of us... I just wanted him to remember what we went through together, not this!"  
Madison jumped down onto the giant metal crates behind the warehouse, Jayden following her and cackling.  
"Stop runnin' and accept yer fate! Blame Ethan!" He shouted.  
"No! Jayden, snap out of it!"  
"Die!"  
Madison swerved to different paths between the crates to escape from Jayden's gunshots, eventually picking up some sort of item from Cat in the Hat and waiting there. When Jayden got close enough, she pointed it at him and received a boxing glove to her own face.  
Jayden reached out and wrapped his arms around her body while she was dazed, and she tried to fight him until he suddenly let out a scream and threw her away as if he'd been burned.  
She raised a brow in thought. '_Is he... Is he afraid of my woman parts?_' To test her theory, she flirtily unzipped her coat, despite being freezing.  
Jayden seemed irked. He aimed the gun at her once more.  
Seeing little time to continue her test, she turned and leaped up onto a ladder, beginning to climb for her life. '_He's going to shoot me!_'  
Jayden raised his gun and shot at her, only to find that he was out of ammo. He cursed under his breath and threw the gun to the side before he jumped up onto the ladder as well.  
Ethan held Shaun close, so relieved that he was alive this time.  
"Ethan, I think you fucked up." Scott said.  
Ethan looked at him.  
"Why the hell am _I_ here? Jayden should be here. You've managed to flip our roles, Ethan, and God knows that can't be good."  
Ethan ignored him and continued to hold Shaun.  
Madison made it up onto the upper platform and ran into the control panel, only then realizing that she didn't see Jayden through the glass windows. Curious, she left the control panel and looked around.  
Jayden suddenly popped out and tripped her, making her scream and kick away from him before running out onto a beam. There were no bars to grab to either side; one wrong step and she'd slip over the edge and into the water below.  
She turned to look at Jayden, who approached slowly with this crazed smirk on his face.  
"Jayden..."  
"I'm gonna kill ya."  
"Jayden, your mother didn't hug you enough, did she?"  
Jayden seemed annoyed by the mention of his mother. "What's my mom gotta do with enehthin'?"  
"Are you afraid of women, Jayden?"  
Jayden's glare intensified as he continued to slowly approach.  
"So what, you're going to kill me because of something your mother did to you when you were younger?"  
"It wasn't my goddahmned motha'!" He snapped. "Some girl murdahed my fatha' in cold blood, got away with it too by pleadin' insanity!"  
Madison's gaze saddened.  
"That's not even the reason why I wanna kill ya, so shut yer mouth!"  
"Why Shaun? Maybe you don't know _me_ very well, but why kill Shaun?! He hasn't done anything!"  
Jayden responded by starting to laugh madly. He held himself, looking terrified.  
Madison wondered if she was getting through to him. She took a step closer.  
"B-Because... Because if he dies, then... then I won't have t'worry about Ethan killin' himself when I lose control latah!" Jayden said quickly through his laughs.  
"Jayden, you've already lost control, can't you tell?! I don't know you all too well, but I know that the real Norman Jayden wouldn't kill the boy he's been trying so hard to save!"  
Jayden stopped laughing, and now looked nothing short of traumatized.  
"Jayden..." Madison took a step closer, her arms outstretched to hold him.  
Jayden backed away quickly. "G-get away! B-befo'e I l-..." He didn't have time to finish his warning before he was charging at her, intent on knocking her over the edge of the platform.  
She squeezed her eyes shut only to hear him slip and grunt in pain, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Ethan and Scott climbing up the ladder, and Jayden just barely hanging onto the wet platform for his life at her feet.  
He looked to be in horrible pain. "P-please, help me... I hurt myself, I can't hold on...!"  
Madison stared, not sure what to do; if she pulled him up, Shaun's life may be in danger.  
"Please... I'm not crazy enehmo'e!"  
Madison fell for it hook, line, and sinker, and pulled him up.  
"Syke." He shoved her and she nearly fell off of the platform herself.  
Ethan ran over and shoved Jayden, who slipped backwards and was inches from falling, now looking sincerely frightened.  
Madison managed to catch her balance, and so she gave the final shove to push Jayden literally over the edge.  
Jayden screamed as he fell, and then he disappeared into the dark, cold water.  
Scott seemed breathless as he watched, his asthma kicking in at the idea of technically watching his brother drown again. "W-w-we've gotta s-save him...!"  
"No." Ethan said determinedly. "He chose this for himself, whether he realizes it or not."

Madison Paige and Ethan Mars went down the ladder together and started to slowly stroll under the platform where they'd had their final battle with the crazed Norman Jayden.  
Madison curled up in Ethan's weak hold, thankful that he had saved her.  
"Are you okay, Madison?" He asked, still shaken up by the whole experience.  
"Yes, I'm-"  
Suddenly, out of the water beside them, Jayden emerged. He inhaled loudly and grabbed Madison's hair, making her scream.  
"_BITCH!_" He spat at her before yanking her down with him back into the cold water.  
"Madison!" Ethan gasped and looked into the water for them, but it was too dark.  
Madison wildly fought to escape from Jayden as he swam downwards, but he had a tight hold on a massive clump of her hair. He seemed determined to drown her, even if it meant that he had to drown himself in the process.  
Soon enough, she had an idea. She let Jayden's arm pull her further down, closer to him, and then she grabbed him back, pulling him into an embrace. A terrified look in his eyes, he pulled down hard against her hair to get her to retaliate. She squinted in pain, but wasn't willing to give up just yet.  
Scott walked over to Ethan. "What happened? Where's Madison?"  
"I-it's Norman! He survived the fall and he pulled her in!"  
"Why don't you go in after her?"  
"I-I..."  
Madison brought her face closer to Jayden's, and before either of them really knew it, they were kissing. Madison was pleased when, after a few seconds, Jayden's grip on her slackened and he seemed to fall limp.  
'_Good old cliche Kiss of Sanity._' She thought proudly, believing that she'd subdued him.  
"You want her to drown?" Scott argued. "You want _Norman_ to drown?"  
"No! No, I don't want either of them to drown, it's just..."  
They didn't have time to argue further, as Madison burst from the water, pulling Jayden up with her.  
"Madison! Norman!" Ethan smiled.  
Madison pushed Jayden up onto the ground before pulling herself up.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, -" she started, but stopped with a scoff when she noticed that Ethan was cradling Jayden as he said this.  
Jayden couldn't even force himself to smile; he was in pain, he was freezing, and he had only just now started thinking like his old, real self again. It was at this point that Jayden realized he'd dug himself into a bit of a rut, and not just with the whole Triptocaine idea.  
"Norman?" Ethan held him a little tighter, as if trying to reassure him.  
Jayden gulped before he started speaking. "I'm fine, Ethan... I'm much bettah... fer now, at least..."  
Madison smiled at him when he glanced at her for a split-second, and it both terrified and pleased him at the same time.  
"That's great. Let's get Shaun and get out of here." Ethan said as he helped Jayden up and started to walk.  
"W-, h-hey, a'en't ya gonna ask Madison if _she's_ alright?"  
Ethan shrugged, seeming indifferent about the girl.  
Jayden forced himself free of Ethan's hold and went over to Madison, holding out a shaky hand to help her up.  
This surprised Madison, but she accepted regardless of the fact.  
"I'm sorry fer attackin' y'like that... I really lost my mind the'e..."  
Madison smiled at him again, and decided not to smile again after noticing just how scared Jayden seemed to get every time she did. "It's okay, really. Just relax for now, and don't hold that against yourself."  
Jayden averted his eyes and nodded slowly.  
Ethan was confused about how the two of them felt for each other. '_Is Madison taking away my love interest? Oh, the tragic irony...!_'  
Scott just stood there awkwardly, looking at the three people in front of him and trying to back away from the scene.  
"Scott?" Jayden was the one to notice first. "Whe'e a'e y'goin'?"  
"I... I have some things to check on over here."  
Jayden raised a brow, managing to smile, but it seemed forced to the point that it may have irked him. "Really?"  
Scott sighed. "Jayden, what are you going to do? Are you going to take me back to the police station and just tell them to let me go? At least let me try to flee before Blake decides to kill me."  
Jayden's eyes widened. "Oh, shit, Blake... I fergot about him... I-I can't go back to the station, I'll... _I'll..._" Jayden trailed off, seeming to become stressed.  
Madison held him again, stroking the back of his head. "Jayden, calm down. The last thing any of us wants is for you to lose control again, right?"  
Jayden tried to relax, knowing that he was vulnerable to fall right back into his madness, at least for the time being.  
"Let's get out of here and take Shaun to the hospital or something." Madison said offhandedly to Ethan, and the two of them left with Jayden and Shaun, leaving Scott to try to escape on his own.


	12. A Love Like Triptocaine

Ethan Mars, Madison Paige, and Norman Jayden stood in the lobby at the hospital.  
"So Madison," Ethan asked. "Where will you go?"  
Madison shrugged. "I'm going to write a book about this because I want your babies."  
"What does that have to do with... Never mind."  
Jayden, who had recently recovered (somewhat) from a few broken ribs, had been particularly quiet, so Ethan tried to make him speak up.  
"Norman, how are you feeling?"  
"Is Shaun alright?" Jayden asked, avoiding the question.  
"Yes, he just needs a bit more rest before he can go back to school."  
"Good..." Jayden smiled a bit out of relief.  
"So, Jayden, where will you go?" Madison asked.  
Ethan wrapped his arm gently around Jayden's shoulders. "He's staying with me. Right, Norman?" He was a little confused by Jayden's hesitance in answering.  
"A-... About that, Ethan... I don't think I should stay with ya."  
"Wh-what? But what about..."  
"What if I go crazy again and hurt Shaun?" Jayden shook his head. "I'm sorry Ethan, but I just can't take that sorta chance again."  
Ethan looked disappointed, but not surprised. "If that's what you truly want... but then where exactly will you go?"  
Jayden shrugged. "I'll go get my things from the station and then I suppose I'll be headin' back to Washin'ton..."  
"What about that Blake guy?" Madison asked.  
"I'll just have to try to sneak by him..."  
"..." Madison had an idea, and she held Jayden's hand, nearly making him jump. "I'll go with you."  
"What...?"  
"Ethan told me about how Blake feels about you. Maybe he'll be turned off if I pretend to be your girlfriend?"  
Jayden pulled his hand away from her and shook his head wildly. "N-no! No, he'll kill ya! Why d'ya think he tried to kill Ethan?!"  
"Come on, Jayden. Think about this. Not only would a ton of fans like this, but there is a good chance Blake would let you be."  
"I... I guess...?"

* * *

Carter Blake was standing in front of his desk, organizing files in a box. He looked to his right subconsciously and suddenly saw Norman Jayden walking into the building with Madison Paige, holding her hand. Jayden looked incredibly awkward.  
"Hello, _Nor_man. Did you come back to get your things?"  
Jayden nodded nervously.  
"Who's the girl?" Blake asked, pretending not to know her for continuity's sake.  
"Uh, this is Madison... Madison Paige. She's, uh..."  
"His girlfriend." Madison pat his arm. "I'm his girlfriend." She kissed his cheek, then she used her index finger to scratch his chin. "Right, _Normie?_"  
Both Madison and Blake were surprised when Jayden started breathing heavy and threw Madison away from himself. He fell down and sat against the file cabinet that had been beside him, and he cradled his head, trembling wildly as he started hyperventilating.  
"Jayden? Jayden, are you okay?! What's wrong?!" Madison asked as she fell to her knees next to him and grabbed his arm again.  
Blake knelt next to Jayden as well.  
"I-I'm sorry..." Jayden panted nervously. "Y'reminded me of somethin' I want nothin' mo'e than to ferget..." He looked up at them, revealing that his nose had started to bleed.  
"Norm..." Blake discreetly handed Jayden his tube of Triptocaine.  
Jayden stared at the tube, beginning to crave its contents. '_Blake, ya asshole._'  
"What was that about?" Madison asked, not noticing the tube.  
"N-nothin', Madison."  
"If you say so..." Madison helped Jayden to his feet with Blake's help.  
Jayden swayed, struggling to stay standing; he was already starting to hallucinate. "C-... C-could I get my stuff and then be alone fer a while...?"  
Blake smirked. "Sure, Norm." He pat the man on the back. "Go into your office."  
Jayden shakily walked past Blake and Madison, disappearing into his office.  
"What did you give him?" Madison growled.  
Blake avoided her question and grabbed her, threatening to smack her. "You goddamned _whore_, what kind of sick joke is this? His _girlfriend?_ _Really?_"  
"Hey, you're not any better. At least I don't abuse him."  
"You'd better just shut your mouth, bitch, before I shut it for you."

* * *

Norman Jayden sat in his office, holding the tube of Triptocaine and quivering.  
"D-d-_dammit_, Blake...!" He held his head and kicked at the floor, trying not to snort the powder. He tried to put the tube in his pocket, but his arm refused to move any further than to his lap.  
He rest his head against the table and shut his eyes for just a moment, and when he opened them, he was in one of the ARI environments, and his head hurt like hell.  
"Nahman? Nahman, look at me."  
Jayden slowly started to look up; he saw someone in his own suit standing in front of the desk. He soon looked up enough to see that the person standing before him was actually himself, and he started to panic.  
His other self smiled.  
"Y-yer the one that drowned Shaun!" Jayden shouted.  
His other self smiled wider. "Yes, Nahman. That's right. Why don't ya take Tripto, Nahman?"  
"It-it's gonna kill me if I take much mo'e..."  
"But you're goin' mad without it." His other self taunted. "Soon I'll win and take ovah ya again if ya don't take it."  
"Don't hurt anyone..." He pleaded, as if he were accepting the idea of losing his mind to his 'alter-ego'.  
His other self raised a brow and looked unamused. "Ya really like that Madison girl, don't ya?"  
Jayden looked down at the stone his feet lay upon.  
"Don't worry, Nahman, if I do get control, I'll make ha' scream."  
"Leave ha' alone!" Jayden argued, not yet getting what his other self was suggesting.  
"Ya'd like it, don't lie, and so would she."  
"Wh-what a'e ya..."  
His other self formed an O with one hand and used the index finger of the other hand to perform a gesture that made Jayden's jaw drop and his face flush from embarrassment and rage.  
"Don't ya _DA'E!_ That'd be _rape!_" He growled.  
"Didn't we learn from Blake that _that_ is true love?"  
Jayden fell silent, staring at his alter-ego in shock and disgust. He blinked and suddenly found himself underwater.  
"How a'e ya doin' this?" He asked shakily due to both pain and fear. "I don't even have the ARI glasses on...!"  
"Oh Nahman, don't worry. Yer almost past the point whe'e ya won't need those glasses to have and do whatevah yer heart desiahs."  
He then suddenly found himself on Mars, so he sat in the office chair and held his head, gasping. His nose was beginning to bleed heavily, and his head felt like it was about to explode. It was taking everything he had not to cry out for someone or just scream with all his might.  
Just when he felt like he was close to breaking point, he found himself sitting in his office in West Virginia. He was so scared that he lost his voice and therefore wouldn't be able to scream even if he tried.  
He saw a flashback of himself and his partner going after another serial killer at large.  
At that point, Jayden was still being heavily affected by his father's murder, and had yet to experience his first heavy Triptocaine withdrawal phase.  
"A'e ya su'e backup is on its way?" Jayden asked his partner without glancing her way.  
"Yes, yes. The killer's home is further that way, according to our intel." She pointed deeper into the trees.  
Jayden followed where she was pointing until they came across a 'clearing', if it being filled with large shrubbery could allow it to be classified as such.  
"A'e we close?" Jayden asked, his back turned on his partner.  
"Oh, yes... We're _real_ close!"  
Jayden turned to look at her and was so startled that he fell back when she sliced him right on the cheek with a combat knife. Once on the ground, his started backing away, too shocked to feel pain in the deep cut on his right cheek.  
"Wh-wh-what a'e ya doin'?!"  
"I suppose I might as well tell you everything; you're not going to escape from me anyways, and there's no backup on it's way. I'm the killer, Normie. That girl who murdered your father? _I sent her after him to displace you._"  
Jayden couldn't believe it. He became breathless and felt sick, not taking his eyes off of the woman in front of him. He had only suspected her once, but he had dismissed it. He felt so distressed. "Why...?! _Why?!_ I _trusted_ ya!"  
"Aww, Normie, did I take your heart?"  
"Y-y-... Yer... I... I can't believe I thought I had _feelin's_ fer someone like ya!"  
"Goodbye, Normie. I have to kill you now." She announced, ignoring what he said.  
"YOU _BITCH!_" Jayden flew off the handle from guilt, depression, and pure rage. He threw himself at her, and she swiped at him, just barely missing. He tackled her down, and the two of them fought viciously until Jayden eventually threw her to the ground and aimed his gun at her.  
She could see it in his eyes for just a second that he was going to shoot her, and he was going to take great pleasure in taking her life, but soon enough the look disappeared.  
"Drop the knife." He ordered.  
Grumpily, she obeyed.  
"Hands on yer head. Now turn around." After she did those three things, Jayden slowly approached and slapped a pair on handcuffs onto her wrists. As he lift her, he felt this strange feeling beginning to build up inside him and he began to lose his breath.  
He wobbled, feeling light-headed, and within a few seconds he had let go of his so-called partner and doubled over from the strange, incredibly discomforting feeling. His whole body quivered like a leaf and he panted, his nose starting to bleed just a little.  
'_What the hell is this feelin'? It hurts!_' Jayden was trying to figure out what was wrong with him when his hand pulled out the tube of Triptocaine again. He stared at it with wide, hungry eyes, and couldn't resist snorting a bit of it.  
After a few seconds, he started to feel much better. He stood, and that's when he realized that his captive had escaped.  
"Fuck...! Oh fuck, fuck, fuck...!" He leaned against his car and looked around in search of her, but he'd lost her in the trees.  
Jayden snapped out of his flashback to see his ex-partner walk into the office. Her corpse, that is.  
Briefly, he remembered hearing later in the newspaper about how her handcuffs had got her stuck on a branch, and she'd managed to drown because of it. Jayden had killed her. Despite how indirect it was, he had killed her. He had been almost disturbed by how good it felt to know that he had been the one who killed her.  
Her muddy, soaked corpse reached out to touch his cheek, and that's when Jayden knew he couldn't take anymore.

Madison Paige and Carter Blake were still arguing in the middle of the police station when suddenly they heard Norman Jayden let out a blood-curdling scream. They glanced at each other for only a second, and then they both started running for Jayden's office.  
Madison got there first, and she ripped the door open to see Jayden holding a tube of blue powder as he covered his eyes and screamed hysterically.  
"Jayden! Jayden, snap out of it!" Madison shook him.  
Jayden screamed more when his ex-partner's corpse tried to tug his hands away from his eyes. He tried to claw his eyeballs out without uncovering them so that he'd never have to see her haunting him again.  
"Jayden, what are you doing?! You're going to hurt yourself! Come on, it's _me_, Madison!"  
Jayden's hands flung away from his eyes faster than ever as he stared at Madison, and into her pretty brown eyes. They reminded him of something, but he wasn't sure of what.  
Blake watched, frowning intensely, as they stared into eachother's eyes.  
Madison was about to pull away when suddenly Jayden pulled her into an embrace and kissed her passionately.  
"FUCK THIS!" Blake slammed the door shut and flipped his own desk with eye lasers of pure anger.  
Madison kissed back, and Jayden found that strangely, her kiss was like a less-destructive Triptocaine to him.  
Soon they pulled away from each other and went back to silently staring.  
"We... uh... You could... You could come stay at my apartment..." Madison shyly offered with a grin on her face.  
Jayden smiled nervously. "I... I'd like that..."  
Jayden put his Triptocaine in his pocket, then took his ARI and put it in his chest pocket, and then the two of them walked out hand-in-hand, going to Jayden's car.  
"That fucking _whore_..." Blake snarled quietly. "I'll fucking kill her... Just you wait, _Nor_man. I'm not done with you yet."


	13. Madness

Madison Paige opened the door to her apartment and walked in with Norman Jayden close behind.  
He looked around slowly, taking in the view from the windows and the lighting of the simple apartment.  
"Uh, I'm sorry, it's a bit of a mess..." Madison said.  
"No, it's okay. I don't mind."  
"... Do... do you want a drink? Some coffee, perhaps...?"  
"I'd love some."  
"Alright, I'll make some. Sit down on the couch and make yourself at home, Jayden..."  
Jayden slowly sat down on the couch and sighed. He sat there silently until Madison walked over and handed him a cup of coffee, which he took gently.  
"Thanks." He slowly took a sip as Madison sat next to him, holding a cup for herself. Surprisingly, it was one of the best damn cups of coffee that Jayden had ever drank.  
"I like it kind of sweet, and I didn't know how you like your coffee, so I just gave you the same as mine..."  
"It's fantastic, Madison. Best cup of coffee I've evah drank, I think."  
"Really? I'm glad."  
They stared into each other's eyes, a thick silence surrounding them. Madison slowly took Jayden's cup from his slack hands and put both of them down on the coffee table.  
She then leaned over and kissed the FBI agent beside her passionately. He held her and kissed her back.  
They continued to make out until Madison started trying to unbutton Jayden's dress shirt.

* * *

Norman Jayden jolted awake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He was slightly relieved to see that he was still in Madison Paige's apartment, but was less relieved when he noticed that he was now in her bed and topless. His dress shirt, tie, coat, and suit jacket lay on the floor in a semi-neat pile.  
He glanced over at Madison to find that she was now wearing nothing but underwear and a white tanktop. This made Jayden more uncomfortable as he remembered what his other self had said. His belt did feel a little loose...  
Jayden's heart started to race and he stood quickly, backing away from the bed, his mouth hanging agape.  
'_Did I... Did I do something to ha'...? Oh God, I didn't... No way, I... I _didn't_...!_'  
The room around Jayden started to fade, making him shake his head in protest. He blinked and found himself in the ARI forest. On the bed in the fenced-in area lay Madison, still asleep, miraculously.  
"Nahman..."  
Jayden whipped to his side, now staring face to face with his other self, who was still fully dressed.  
"Nahman, don't tell me ya still haven't noticed somethin' yet..." His other self grumbled, his fingers clasped in front of his mouth; Jayden's typical somewhat-meaningless gesture.  
He said nothing, afraid of waking Madison, but he simply stared at his other self with a look of horror in his eyes.  
The other Jayden pointed at Madison. "Look at ha' face, Nahman."  
"What...?" Jayden hesitantly walked back to Madison and examined her face. She was so pretty, sleeping the way she was. He glanced back at his other self, not sure what he was supposed to see.  
"She started a second life, Nahman."  
He shook his head and raised a brow, not understanding what his other self meant.  
"Come on! Even _I_ reco'nise ha'! How could ya _not_ reco'nise ha'?!"  
He looked at Madison again, but quickly looked back at his 'doppelganger'.  
The other Jayden snarled in frustration before he smirked. "Look back _now!_"  
Jayden looked back at Madison and practically stumbled back against his alter-ego, nearly clinging to him.  
On the bed now was his old partner from West Virginia. He saw now that her face was identical to Madison's.  
Jayden didn't know quite how to react until his alter-ego stepped closer to Madison with a crazy look in his eyes.  
"Let me finish ha' off, Nahman. We'll nevah be haunted by ha' again. She'll nevah stalk us like she is now again."  
"No!" He shouted. "Leave ha' alone!"  
Madison Paige woke up groggily to the sound of Jayden screaming at himself. He stood in the doorway to her right and faced her as he changed demeanors repeatedly.  
At first he seemed defensive, taking a step away from her. "Don't ya friggin' da'e!"  
Then he looked insane and took a step closer to her as he smirked back at where he had been standing before. "What if I _do_ da'e, Nahman? What will ya do? Take mo'e Tripto?"  
"Jayden...?" She drowsily groaned as she rubbed her eyes.  
Jayden took a step back and gasped at her. She stared at him for just a second before he shouted, "_NO!_", and flung himself at the bed as if lunging to tackle something. He then quickly leaped onto the bed and straddled Madison's waist, sitting with his knees on either side of her hips, and he wrapped his arms around her throat, tightening his grip with a look of mad determination in his pale green eyes.  
She choked and pried at his fingers so she could breathe, but it wasn't working; being a man, he was naturally stronger than her.  
Finally she somehow managed to punch him in the groin, and at that point, she flipped over, throwing him off of the bed.  
Gasping, she pleaded, "Jayden, please, snap out of it! You're not thinking straight! _Please!_"  
Jayden stood and was about to charge at her with a lamp in hand, but he suddenly stopped. The lamp dropped and its base shattered into large shards. When he realized what he was doing, he looked broken and ashamed as he slumped to the floor.  
Slowly, Madison went over to him and got on her knees in front of him, stroking the side of his head gently.  
"Madison..." Subconsciously, he pulled her into an embrace and shut his eyes.  
Madison grunted in pain and he felt something leak onto his hand. Quickly, he opened his eyes and looked to see that his left hand had grabbed a sharp shard of the broken lamp base and had just stabbed Madison in the gut with it, spilling blood out onto his quivering hand.  
His eyes widened in horror as he stared, incomprehensive at this point. He twitched a little, but did nothing to stop his body as it tore the shard out of Madison's stomach, grabbed her head, and placed the bloody shard against her slender throat.  
Madison stared at him, pleading with her vibrant brown, pain-filled eyes.  
'_Kill ha', Nahman._'  
Jayden felt his alternate self give him the control of his body back, but he didn't move for a long moment. When he did, it was to press the shard into Madison's neck and pull it roughly to the side.

Norman Jayden, clean as a whistle (for the most part), stepped out of the apartment building that Madison Paige stayed in and adjusted his coat. He emotionlessly walked to his car and got in, starting the ignition and putting the car into drive. He hesitated for only a second to glance at the building before he started driving casually away from it.

* * *

Carter Blake was relaxing in his house when suddenly he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door and was pleased to see Norman Jayden, who held a bottle of wine in his hands.  
"Hi..." The agent said.  
"Hey, Norman..." Blake was too stunned to say his name mockingly.  
"I just thought I'd stop by and that we could have a drink... Now isn't a bad time, is it?"  
"No, no, of course not. Come inside, _Nor_man."  
Jayden stepped inside and looked around. "Not a bad place..."  
"Say, Norm... How did you find out where I live?"  
Jayden simply smiled at him. "Do ya have enehthin' I can use t'open this bottle?"  
"Uh, yeah, hold on..."  
Before Blake knew it, they were both sitting on the couch holding cups of the wine.  
"T'the end of that crazy case." Jayden said and held up his glass.  
"To the end of the case." Blake and Jayden had a toast, Blake quickly downing the wine. "Not bad."  
Jayden didn't drink. "I know, right...?"  
"Norm, are you alright? Have you been sleeping okay?"  
"T'be honest, no... I haven't slept in a day or two..."  
Blake frowned and rubbed Jayden's thigh flirtily. "You know you're welcome to stay with me, right?"  
Jayden reached out and rubbed Blake's facial hair sensually. "I know, Cahtah... It's just that ya had yer chance, and ya botched it."  
Blake raised a brow. He felt sleepy all of the sudden. Jayden pulled his head close to his own chest and pet him.  
"_Sleep_, Cahtah..."  
Blake realized what had happened, and he chuckled a little. "Fucking _asshole_... think you're so clever... don't you..."  
Jayden smiled when Blake passed out permanently. He picked up the poisoned bottle of wine and left casually, getting back into his car as if nothing had happened inside.

* * *

Ethan Mars sat in his house. He and Grace had got back together and bought back their old house to live with Shaun.  
It was early on a Sunday morning, and Ethan walked outside. He grabbed the newspaper and went back into the kitchen, reading through the paper while he made coffee. He brought the tiny cup to his mouth a took a small sip of the hot java when an article in the newspaper caught his eye and he stopped drinking.  
"**Police Lieutenant and Journalist found murdered in their own homes**"  
The article mentioned both Carter Blake and Madison Paige.  
"What...? My God..." Ethan was so shocked; Madison was dead? That was news to him. Yet he was a little pleased that Blake had died.  
He finished his cup of coffee and then continued on with his day without giving the article a second thought.

Shaun Mars woke up in the middle of the night to some unnerving sounds. He looked around in his room, but froze when he heard that the sounds were coming from downstairs.  
He heard the glass sliding door leading to the backyard close, and then heard what sounded like rhythmic footsteps on the hard wood floor.  
He held his blanket tightly when he heard the intruder begin whistling a tune, running something sharp along the wooden shelves in the living room.  
Shaun whimpered in fear. He wanted to cry out for his parents, who were likely asleep in the other room. He wasn't sure why he didn't, but he got up and hid under his bed; this also gave him the advantage of having his ear pressed to the floor to hear better.  
The intruder downstairs took their sweet time exploring the downstairs, then they stopped whistling and started coming up the stairs.  
They started whistling again, but their whistles soon died down as they stopped in front of Shaun's door.  
Shaun trembled under his bed, trying his best to breathe quietly as he held his teddy close.  
The door creaked open.  
"Shaun...?" A voice quietly beckoned for him.  
Shaun didn't move a muscle.  
"Shaun, I know whe'e yer hidin'... Just come out now, and the'e'll be no reason fer me to hurt yer parents."  
Shaun grabbed a sharpened pencil that had rolled under his bed before he shakily got out from his hiding spot.  
A man stood before him, holding one of the knives from the kitchen in his right hand. He looked exhausted, and even Shaun could tell from the look in his eyes that he had long since gone insane.  
Norman Jayden looked down upon little Shaun in the dark, reddened, stormy forest. "See? It wasn't so hard t'show yerself t'me... But I'd already seen ya, Shaun... It wasn't such a great hidin' spot aftah all, _was it._"  
"What do you want from me?" Shaun asked, trying to sound brave, when he was in fact scared out of his wits.  
Jayden clasped his hands under his mouth, grazing the knife against his scarred cheek. "Shaun, I want ya t'come with me."  
"What? You're crazy." Shaun sharply denied.  
"Come with me," Jayden pointed the knife in the direction of his parents' room. "Or else yer parents will meet my wrath. I won't hurt ya or them if y'come with me, I sweah."  
Shaun clutched his teddy tighter, and he didn't fight when Jayden gently held his hand and pulled him along. The boy stopped and took his time in tying up his shoelaces and putting on his jacket. He was then pulled out of the house by Jayden.  
The two of them walked for what felt like hours, not stopping even when dawn broke.

* * *

Scott Shelby was asleep in his small house somewhere just outside of Philadelphia. He was planning to stay asleep for a while when suddenly he was awoken by the ringing of his doorbell over and over.  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" He grumpily yelled at his door. He opened it, and when he did, he froze.  
In front of him was Norman Jayden, who held the hand of Shaun Mars. They were both soaked from the rain that had started up again. Shaun seemed exhausted, while Jayden just stared at Scott blankly.  
"... Jayden, what the h-" The private investimagatorrator was cut off when Jayden suddenly hugged him. "... John?"  
"Yer the only one that hasn't betrayed me yet, Scott..." Jayden said. "Yer the only one I can trust..."  
"You're the one that killed that Madison girl and Carter, aren't you, Jayden?"  
"I need yer help..."  
"Where are we right now, Jayden?"  
"The construction site..."  
Scott frowned Madison's frown. "Jayden, I think you should get help. And for God's sakes, take Shaun back to Ethan!"  
"I am gettin' help..." Jayden took Scott hand. "I'm gettin' yers..."  
"I can't help you until you take Shaun back to his father."  
"His fatha' will have t'find him."  
Scott sighed, realizing that he'd have to take Shaun back himself somehow, as it wasn't going to be easy to get through to Jayden... or perhaps John. Maybe even both; Jayden seemed to be switching back and forth unpredictably.  
'_I can only imagine what kind of chaos his thoughts are right now._'  
"... What do you need my help for?"  
"I need mo'e Triptocaine and a place to lay low fer a while..."  
"I'll try my best to find Triptocaine, but I can't help you find a place to stay."  
"I wanna stay with _ya_, Scott..."  
Scott's eyes widened at the idea. "St-stay with _me_?"  
Jayden embraced Scott again, standing up on his toes so that he could rest his chin against Scott's shoulder.  
Scott watched Shaun, who stood there quietly; he had nowhere to run, and he knew it.  
"Please help me..." Jayden suddenly pleaded in a whisper, sounding near tears. "I killed Madison and Blake, and at this rate, I'm gonna kill Shaun too... I can't... I can't stop myself, Scott...!"  
Scott slowly pat Jayden's back. "I'll try everything I can to help you, Jayden..."  
He continued with a disclaimer in his thoughts. '_Without losing John. Which probably limits my usefulness to you quite some bit._'


	14. Pleas and Mute Apologies

Ethan Mars awoke with a yawn next to his beautiful wife, Grace. The sun was out, and it was around noon. He got out of bed and checked on Shaun, only to notice that Shaun was not in his room.  
Drowsy and disgruntled, Ethan walked downstairs. He saw Shaun sitting in the living room on the couch and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.  
"Good morning, Shaun."  
"Good morning, Dad..." Shaun mumbled.  
Ethan shrugged it off and went to make coffee when he noticed that a cup was missing. He looked around until he found it on its side in one of the bottom cupboards. He narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything about it to Shaun.  
He also noticed that Shaun's shoes and rainjacket were soaked. "Shaun?"  
"Yeah, dad?"  
"Did you go outside?" Ethan asked, worried for his son's safety.  
"Yeah... I went out into the backyard." Shaun lied, terrified of worrying his father by telling him that the Origami Killer had just driven him back home minutes ago.  
"Really? Alright, I'll believe you." Ethan checked the pocket of Shaun's coat, and his eyes widened. He stormed over to Shaun and revealed the origami echidna that had been stashed away. "Where did you get this?"  
Shaun looked at it. "I've never seen that before."  
"I found it in your coat pocket, Shaun. Where did you get it?"  
Shaun looked his father in the eyes. "I swear, Dad, I've never seen it before."  
Ethan was about to argue about how Shaun must have seen it when the phone started to ring. He answered the phone hastefully. "Hello?"  
"Ethan Mars?" It was Scott Shelby.  
Ethan put a hand over his mouth and the receiver as if to prevent Shaun from clearly hearing. "Why are you calling me? Where did you get my number?"  
"You need to come see me. It's important."  
"Why should I believe you?" Ethan grumbled.  
"It's about Jayden."  
"Where are you?"

Ethan Mars got out of the car in front of Scott Shelby's 'hideout'. Scott was leaning against the doorway waiting for him.  
"Where's Norman?" Ethan asked quickly, wanting to get this over with as he still wasn't on very good terms with Scott.  
"He's inside. I had to drug him to put him to sleep, so you can come inside, but be quiet about it." Scott replied with a frown.  
Ethan stepped inside Scott's home quietly. Norman Jayden was asleep on the couch.  
Scott quietly sighed after he closed the door. He started to speak. "Something's wrong with Jayden."  
"I'll say. He looks so sick."  
"Ethan, did you read the newspaper recently? About the murders of Blake and Madison?" Scott asked.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"That was _his_ work, Ethan. Jayden killed them."  
Ethan quickly backed away from Jayden. "No way, that can't be true. Jayden might not like them, but he wouldn't kill them."  
"He tried to kill Shaun, didn't he?"  
Ethan fell silent and stared at Jayden; he still looked so innocent in his sleep...  
"That's not all, Ethan. Last night..." Scott sighed again and shook his head before continuing. "Last night, Jayden showed up here. I'm not sure how he knew where I was; I swear, I haven't spoken to him since the warehouse. He... He had Shaun, Ethan."  
"What?!"  
"I brought him back to your place just a few minutes before I called you. Jayden was acting crazy. He wanted you to find Shaun yourself; he refused to bring him back to you himself. He kept asking me for my help, but I'm not entirely sure what he meant exactly..."  
Ethan went numb from shock with the idea that Jayden still wanted to hurt Shaun. "Why does he want my son to suffer more than he already has...?!"  
"... I think it's John."  
"Huh?"  
"I think John's finally pushed Jayden over the edge. You still remember John right?"  
"Refresh my memory..."  
"John Sheppard? My brother? Jayden looks just like him. Who would'a thunk it that my speculation that John would be within him would turn out to be true..."  
"But why would either of them want my son or I to die?"  
"Perhaps John feels like you didn't do enough to prove your love for Shaun..."  
"Does John know about the trials?"  
Scott shrugged. "Probably? I never told him, but he might have figured it out on his own in the ARI..."  
Ethan blinked. "... Excuse me?"  
"Do you know about Jayden's glasses?"  
"Yes, of course."  
"How do you know about them?"  
"SHUT UP SCOTT JUST KEEP SAYING WHATEVER YOU'RE SAYING" Ethan screamed, surprisingly not waking Jayden up.  
"Well, I can assume that John would utilize them... Especially now that Jayden can apparently use the glasses without even having them on..."  
"... What's the truth, Scott?"  
Scott shrugged. "Okay, well, maybe I tampered with them a little..."  
"You bastard!" Ethan yelled. This time, Jayden awoke.  
He sat up with a smile, both of the other men staring at him quietly.  
"The'e ya a'e, Ethan. I've been waitin' fer ya."  
Ethan felt a bit shaken up. "Who am I speaking to...?"  
"Who d'ya think, Ethan?" Jayden laughed a little. "It's me, Nahman! Nahman Jayden! Have y'gone blind?"  
"You're not Norman."  
Jayden raised a brow. "Huh? That's crazy talk, Ethan."  
"Norman wouldn't kidnap my son!" Ethan approached him accusingly. "Norman wouldn't kill Madison and Blake! Norman wouldn't come running to the fucking _Origami Killer_ for help!"  
Jayden frowned, looking up at Ethan. "Nahman wouldn't spa'e ya."  
"... Wait, wha-" Ethan suddenly got a knife to his throat, alarming Scott.  
"How sad that yer gonna be killed with yer own knife, Ethan." Jayden purred, seeming to take pleasure in seeing the scared look in Ethan's petrified blue eyes.  
"Jayden, relax." Scott said in a soothing tone. "You don't want to kill him."  
"I can't trust him!" Jayden snapped. "He must die!"  
"Jayden, you can't even trust your own thoughts. You don't even know where the hell you are!"  
"I'm..." Jayden tried to concentrate. "I'm... I'm _he'e_."  
"Where's '_here_', Jayden?"  
Seeming to be at a loss for words, Jayden opened a mouth wide to speak, but only produced a noise, his free hand trembling wildly. "... The construction site." He said this with a tone of uncertainty.  
"Wrong, Jayden. We're in my home. Who the hell is here, Jayden?"  
"Myself, Ethan, you..." Jayden looked over his shoulder with a sneer. "... and _him_."  
Ethan remained silent.  
"Who's '_him_'?" Scott asked calmly.  
"_Him_!" Jayden turned to face Scott, still holding the knife to Ethan's throat with his right hand, but gesturing openly to his side with his left. Behind him was his other self, who held his father, threatening to kill him if Jayden didn't do as he was told. In the back of his head, Jayden knew that his father was already dead, but he didn't want to lose whatever he had left of him.  
Ethan took the opportunity to shove Jayden back, receiving a small nick on his chin - however, Ethan assumed that was better than having his throat cut open.  
Scott stepped quickly and caught Jayden, holding his arms in a way that left him practically helpless.  
To their mild surprise, Jayden struggled for just a moment before he gave up and started to cry. "Make him _sto-o-oppp_..." He bawled. He tried to let go of the knife, but his grip on it only tightened. "I don't wanna hurt enehone else..."  
Scott and Ethan exchanged glaces for a moment, as if speaking telepathically.  
Without saying a word, Ethan grabbed Scott's phone and walked into a different room. Jayden continued to beg for help from someone. Scott held Jayden tightly, refusing to let him go.  
Soon, Ethan stepped back into the room and signaled for them to be at ease.  
Scott noticed how Jayden still seemed to be lethal, so he simply sat while still holding him.  
After a few minutes, Jayden stopped crying a little when he heard car doors close outside. "Who's outside?" He asked.  
"No one, Norman..." Ethan averted his eyes as he opened the door.  
In stepped some men in white.  
Jayden's eyes widened, and he screamed, now struggling feverishly against Scott's hold. He couldn't understand why these men were here, but he knew that they were after him. They grabbed Jayden and restrained him even more harshly than Scott had, and he kicked and screamed like a banshee as they dragged him back towards the ambulance.  
Scott looked at Ethan, who had his head in his hand, feeling remorse for his actions already.

* * *

Ethan Mars stood outside of a room, trying to relax. Slowly, he opened the door. Inside the padded cell was Norman Jayden, who was dressed in white and wore a strait-jacket.  
Ethan timidly stepped inside. "N-Norman... I'm so sorry... but what else could I have done for you...?"  
Jayden said nothing.  
The two of them remained in silence for a moment.  
"Uh, maybe I sh-" Ethan started and was about to turn to leave.  
"They arrested Scott, didn't they?" Jayden asked in a hoarse voice, not making eye contact with Ethan.  
Ethan shook his head slowly. "I... I didn't rat him out. I feel too much pity for that asshole..."  
"I see ya moved?"  
Ethan raised a brow. "Uh... excuse me?"  
"Ya moved houses and ya got a new job as an architect... Not bad, Ethan..."  
Ethan was confused.  
Jayden giggled insanely. "So that's yer birthday... I was always wonderin' that..."  
Ethan gulped. "I... I'll just be going now, Norman. It... was nice to see you again."  
"How's Shaun?" Jayden tried to get Ethan to stay a while longer.  
"He's fine, Norman... He's just fine..."  
"How's Grace?"  
"She's fine too."  
Jayden suddenly frowned. "Ethan, please... Ya need t'get me outta he'e... I'm not crazy, truly, I'm _not_...! But I'm gonna _go_ crazy if I have to spend one mo'e day in he'e, alone with _him_...!"  
Ethan felt more pity for Jayden than he did for Scott at this point. "See, Norman... It's just... I don't have any idea who you're talking about when you say '_him_'."  
"Him! He's right the'e behind ya!" Jayden blinked back tears, hurt that Ethan didn't believe him and refused to see what was really there.  
Ethan turned slowly, but saw no one behind him. "There's no one there, Norman..."  
Jayden started to tremble. "Ethan... Please...! Ya have t'help me...!"  
"I really can't, Norman."  
"Is it because it isn't legal?!" Jayden protested, getting onto his knees somehow. "I got ya outta that police station! I helped ya escape, and _that_ wasn't legal! Why won't ya help _me?!_ Ya _owe me_ this much!"  
"I stopped _owing you_ the second you _tried to kill my son._" Ethan replied coldly. "_Goodbye_, Norman." He walked out of the room, but looked back on Jayden.  
"I'll get ya fer this, Ethan Mars. I'll make ya pay, even if it's the _last_ fuckin' thin' I do!" This was the last thing Jayden said before the door was shut in his face.  
Ethan scoffed. He felt sorry for Jayden, and how this case had driven him to insanity, but he decided to shake it off for now as he walked back to his car to pick Shaun up from school.  
Jayden fell back into a sitting position, his knees up and his back against the wall. He felt his hands shaking in their restraints, and he didn't bother to look at his other self as he crawled over from the wall and grabbed his chin.  
Jayden started to cry quietly as his other self started dragging his nails across his cheeks painfully and his eyes started to bleed, as per normal now.

* * *

Scott Shelby was sitting alone in his home, reading the newspaper. All the newspapers spoke about now was some shit Scott didn't care to understand.  
It had been a year since the incident with Norman Jayden and Ethan Mars, and he hadn't resumed being the Origami Killer; instead, he had officially become a private investimagatorrator.  
Last he had heard about Jayden was that he was sent to a mental hospital and was being 'cared for'. He still worried about the now ex-federal agent now and again, and also about John.  
He was, in fact, thinking about Jayden when the doorbell rung. Lethargically, Scott stood, placed the newspaper down on the table, and walked over to the door. He opened it, and then his eyes widened.  
In front of him stood Jayden, with a young woman standing behind him.  
Scott nearly fell back. "J-Jayden?"  
"Hello, Scott."  
"Wh-what are you doing here? Weren't you in a hospital?"  
"I escaped with ha' help."  
The girl raised her head a bit, gaining Jayden's attention. "D-... Well, it... It wasn't just me, you know that..." She said.  
Jayden looked back at Scott. "I escaped with the help of ha' _and_ ha' entity."  
"Entity...?" Scott raised a brow in confusion.  
"His name is Aiden. I've... I've been connected with him ever since I was born." The girl clarified.  
"... Uh huh. And... what is _your_ name, exactly?" Scott asked with a certain skeptic tone.  
"Jodie Holmes. I should be asking you _your_ name now, shouldn't I?"  
"I'm Scott. Scott Shelby. Thanks for bringing Jayden back. I'll be keeping him here, if you don't mind."  
Jodie perked up in protest. "Uh, I... I _do_ mind. I need him to come with me."  
Scott was about to argue, but Jayden spoke first.  
"Sorry, Scott, but I do _owe_ ha'..." He turned and walked down the steps with Jodie. He looked back at Scott as he got on the girl's motorcycle behind her. "Say hello t'Ethan fer me."  
When the two of them drove away, Scott numbly walked over and grabbed his phone.  
"Hello?" Ethan Mars answered.  
"Ethan... It's me, Scott Shelby. You're not going to believe who just visited me..."


End file.
